/ 




I. 



il 




"Coin' fishing! ', Oh! boy, the thrill that goes through a fellow when 
he hears those words. It means a trip to the out-o'-doors along the 
woods and water trails, close to nature and her forest children, the 
rushing, tumbling stream, the moonbeam kissed lake waters, the 
wind soughing through the pines, the aroma of coffee and bacon of 
the evening campfire. Get the tackle ready pardner, let's go a-fishin". 



COIN' FISHIN' 



Weather and Feed Facts; the Fresh- Water 

Game Fish; the Natural and Artificial 

Baits and their use 



BY 

DIXIE CARROLL 

Editor of "The National Sportsman" and 
Fishing Editor of "The Chicago Daily Ne<ws,^' 
President of "The American Anglers^ League,^* 
Author of " Lake and Stream Game Fishing,** 
and "Fishing, Tackle and Kits." 



WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY 

MAJOR GENERAL LEONARD WOOD, U.S.A. 



AND A FOREWORD BY 

WRIGHT A. PATTERSON 

Editor-in-Chief of the Western 
Newspaper Union 



CINCINNATI 

STEWART & KIDD COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 



Sl^A 



n 






Copyright, 1920, by 

STEWART & KIDD COMPANY 
A// rights reserved 

Copyright in England 



^^"^ 25 1920 
iCI,A576568 



TO 
ROSE AND PEARL 

MY WIFE AND SISTER. 

MY "PALS" FOR A HALF SCORE YEARS ALONG 

WILDERNESS WOODS AND WATER TRAILS. 

BOTH LOVERS OF THE OUT-O'-DOORS 

AND NATURE AND TRUE FRIENDS 

OF THE WILD CfilLDREN 

OF THE FORESTS. 



FOREWORD 

'♦GoIn'FIshln'?" 

"Sure!" On a beautiful sunshiny Spring day 
with the buds bursting on the trees, with the first 
shimmer of green in the grass, with the chirp of the 
first robin, there comes again that craving for the 
lake, the river and the woodland that means but one 
thing: "Coin' FIshin'." 

Sure we're '* goin' fishin' " 1 We're going again 
to the home of the bass, the musky, the pike and the 
trout; we're going again armed with the confidence 
of landing the big one that just escaped last year. 
We know the log beneath which he is waiting for 
another juicy frog or minnow, the log beneath which 
he has waited for us year after year, that fighting 
old grandfather of all his kind, but this year is to be 
his last. 

We have sorted up the old tackle box, have tested 
the favorite casting rod, have spooled a new line on 
the old reliable reel, and we are going forth with a 
keen anticipation of the battle royal that awaits us, 
and with an assurance of victory. 

Yes we have that assurance of victory born of 
past defeats. We are familiar with that old game- 



vi FOREWORD 

ster, and are confident he has exhausted everything 
in his box of tricks with which it would be possible 
for him to defeat our purpose. His day of doom 
has dawned. 

*'Goin' Fishin'?" 

Yes, going, again with Dixie. Going back to 
McNaughton, to Tomahawk, to Lost Land, and 
others of the lakes of Northern Wisconsin and 
Michigan where we have idled away glorious hours 
of Spring and Summer and Fall. Going back to 
again experience the thrill that comes with the strike 
of the gamey old musky or bass. Going back to 
float again into the nooks and corners of favorite 
waters, every one of which contains memories of 
past defeats or victories. Going again to enjoy the 
pleasures of a camp fire meal, and days and nights 
in the open. Going again for all that is implied in 
" goin' fishin'." 

"Goin' Fishin'?" 

Sure ! When the winds of winter howl outside 
the windows; when the ice and sleet and snow have 
enshrouded the lakes, the rivers and the woodland; 
when pipes are lighted and the warmth of the blaz- 
ing fire produces the drowsiness of a winter's eve- 
ning, we're " Goin' Fishin' " with Dixie. 

Then it is that we are going to dream of the days 
when we pushed the canoe along the beautiful 
streams of the northland; when we skirted the shores 
of wondrous lakes; when we carried a pack over 



FOREWORD vii 

the blazed trails ; when we matched our wits against 
those of the gamey denizens of the waters, always 
in a fair fight, sometimes for us to win, sometimes 
for us to lose. We are going to see the vision of 
that musky as he leaves the water; to see the wide 
opened mouth, the sheen of his silvery sides; the 
shake of his mighty head as he fights for freedom. 
We are going to feel again the thrill that comes 
with the tug at the line; to watch the bend of the 
rod; to fight over again all that good fight and to 
experience again all the pleasure that came with 
the landing of a big one. 

Yes, beside the winter fires we are going to visit 
with Joe Begosh, with Jim Friday, and others of 
the Indian guides; we are going to again enjoy the 
wondrous summer nights spent in the open of the 
northland where the only claim to fame is measured 
by the day's catch. We are going to taste again the 
goodies of the camp fire table at which we could 
enjoy a meal without fear of indigestion. 

The pleasures of " Goin' Fishin' " are not only 
those of a Summer's day; they are year 'round 
pleasures, and of all our treasures the memories of 
" Goin' Fishin' " are the greatest. 

Wright A. Patterson. 

Chicago, 

Mar. 1 8, 1920. 



PREFACE 

Within the heart of every one of us burns the 
spark of love for the out-o'-doors. It comes to us 
by nature from the ancestors of other days. Of 
the days when these sturdy forebears carried the 
ax on one shoulder and the long squirrel rifle on 
the other as they carved their homes out of the 
wilderness. 

In some, the spark lies dormant awaiting the call 
that eventually will come from the red gods of the 
outlands, the call that will take them back to nature, 
while in others the spark has fanned and flamed into 
a burning desire to make us wish to throw off the 
shackles of civilization with its prosaic, regulated 
workaday life, tear the shirt wide open from our 
neck and gallop out into the land of heart's desire, 
along woodland and water trail, there to commune 
with nature and her wonders. 

Once in the open places of the outlands, under 
the brim of our old felt hat, our spirits are back 
with the days of our ancestors and the good old 
primitive love of the stone ages trickles through 
our skin and the out-o'-doors takes us back to her 



X PREFACE 

bosom, like the long lost children we are, there to 
sooth us with the whisper of the wind as it soughs 
through the pines, the laughing purl of the tumbling, 
running stream, the quiet murmur of the wind-tossed 
lake waters that try to climb the beams o' silver 
winking down from the moon in its blue-bowled set- 
ting. 

I am glad that the love for the out-o'-doors burns 
like an unquenchable volcano within my being and 
that it has from the earliest moments of my life, 
that I recall. Much of the early development of 
this love for the quiet places is due to my father and 
mother, both keen lovers of nature and the open. 
Much of the outdoor life, fishing and hunting, game 
fish and wild animal life came to me through ex- 
periences with my father, who as a youngster, left 
the home trails of the Blue Ridge country and led 
the life of a frontiersman for a number of years, 
making the long trek along the old " Sante Fe 
Trail " four times, in the days when making that 
trail was a man's-sized job for a youngster. Driv- 
ing a tack at thirty paces with his old " forty-four " 
was a record he set up for me and one that I am 
still driving at. 

It has been a pleasure to me to write this book 
with the thought that it may help a little in making 
the quest of the game fish more enjoyable to the 
reader; if it helps fan the spark into flame and 



PREFACE xi 

brings the call of the out-o'-doors to you, the pleas- 
ure will be doubled. 

(Carroll Blaine Cook) 
Timberedge Lodge, 

McNaughton, Wis. 
Nov. 27, 1919. 



INTRODUCTION 

Some one has said that it is not all of fishing to 
fish nor all of hunting to hunt. The spirit of this 
is understood by every sportsman worthy of the 
high name. We go into the open to get not only 
the satisfaction which comes from a fair day's fish- 
ing or shooting but that spiritual satisfaction which 
comes from companionship with Nature. There is 
something in the freedom of the fields and the fra- 
grance of the forest which appeals to the man who is 
a sportsman and not merely a killer. The camp- 
fire has its allurements. Its smoke is a sweet smell- 
ing savor. The tramper of the fields and the fish- 
erman of the streamside are better men and better 
citizens because of these avocations which they love. 

The fisherman is the companion of Nature and 
Nature makes a companion of him. I have heard a 
story of a man who went fishing for trout in the 
streams of northern Michigan. He came back and 
was asked what he had caught. He said, " I for- 
got to fish because a hermit thrush was singing." 

This is the spirit of the whole thing. There is a 
joy which comes from the tingling of the rod and 
the sound of the splash of the troubled waters and 



xiv INTRODUCTION 

there Is likewise a joy in a good catch, but there is 
no joy in a basket that is overfull. Moderation 
and a fixed regard for the legal limit are the things 
for which the true sportsman stands whether he be 
fisherman or gunner. 

We cannot kill our game birds and our fish and 
still have them. Something is due to posterity. 
Our children and grandchildren should not be de- 
prived because of our gluttony of the opportunity 
for the sports which we follow and which make for 
manhood and citizenship. Let us see to it that pos- 
terity can continue to follow them. None of us has 
any love for the butcher of our game birds, our 
game animals and our game fish. No slaughterer 
knows anything of the true spirit of the sportsman. 
He has no joy in the open life. He is simply a 
killer with no soul beyond the killing. 

The real sportsman finds a true interest and a 
true zest not in wantonness but In the securing of 
his quarry In a way which will give to it a sporting 
chance. He pits his own skill against the skill and 
inborn intelligence of the game. He has nothing 
in common with the pot hunter. In other words, 
the spirit of the true fisherman and the true hunter 
is one of fair play. 

Our American sportsman has that keen apprecia- 
tion of life In the open, of the campfire and of the 
rough but wholesome food of his own cooking. He 
loves to test his wits against the Instinct and clever- 



INTRODUCTION xv 

ness of the children of the wilds; his strength and 
endurance against theirs and he has an instinctive 
dislike of slaughter for slaughter's sake. 

Men of the outdoor type, fishermen and hunters, 
bring a healthy influence into our public life. They 
are freer from the spirit of intrigue and the nar- 
rowing influence of sequestered living. They can 
bring into our public life that spirit of freshness and 
vigor which is much needed. 

I believe it to be the object of this book to preach 
the gospel of the open air, of moderation in the pur- 
suit of the sport which we love, of the conservation 
of the wild life and of those other things which ap- 
peal to manly men who love Nature in all her moods 
and who seek her society for the joy that it gives 
them. With this view of it I commend it. 

Leonard Wood. 

Chicago, March loth, 1920. 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Get the Tackle Ready i 

Playing the Fish 5 

The Bait-Casting Plug 10 

Defense of the Plug 15 

Natural Baits 20 

Stream Fly-Fishing 25 

Feed Facts 30 

Give Your Bait a Chance ....... 35 

Bait-Casting Lines 40 

Accuracy in Casting 45 

The Reel and Backlashes 50 

Fishing the Spoon 55 

The Crawfish as Bait 59 

The Surface Strike . 64 

The Minnow as Bait 69 

Meet Mr. Wall-Eye Pike 74 

To THE Musky 79 

Spooling the Line 83 

The Frog as Bait 88 

The Pike Family 93 

Handling the Rod 98 

Hot Weather Bassing 103 

Among the Catfish 108 

When to Go A-Fishing 113 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The Floating Bass Bug . ii8 

Tail-End Trouting . . .123 

The Bass Family 128 

The Musky Game 132 

Fall Fly Fishing 137 

The Fall Fighter 142 

Thank the Pickerel 146 

" Busting " THE Rules 151 

Skittering for Pickerel . . . ^ 156 

Care of the Fly Tackle 161 

Keepin' Up the Supply 166 

What Fools 'Em 169 

Trout vs. Small Mouth Bass 174 

Fishing Weather 177 

Colors of Artificials 182 

Large-Mouth vs. Small-Mouth 187 

Among the Little Fellows 192 

Canoeing the Upper Wisconsin ...... 197 

Leaves from an Angler's Diary 201 

Bait-Casting Rods 220 

The Steel Bait-Casting Rod 230 

The Outboard Motor in Fishing 242 

Footwear for the Outdoors 251 

A Bit about the Camp Commissary 263 

Head Camp Talks 275 

Where to Go A-Fishing 329 

Wisconsin Fishing Waters 330 

Minnesota Fishing Waters 338 

Pacific Northwest Fishing Waters .... 344 
Canadian Fishing Waters 35 1 



COIN' FISHIN' 



GET THE TACKLE READY 

Nearly every angler is a tinker, a handy man 
with the screwdriver and the odds and ends of the 
family tool kit. Some of the boys take naturally 
to tinkering with the reel and tackle, while some of 
them have a nervous pair of hands that simply itch 
to take things apart. The tackle of the bait caster 
consists mainly of the rod, reel and line, together 
with an endless assortment of plugs, bucktails, 
spoons, spinners, swivels and many odd baits that 
he has doped up himself. 

The rod, if it is split bamboo and has had a good 
run of work during last season, likely has a couple 
of ferrules loose. The top guide may have worked 
into a little play, and as a general thing the varnish 
has cracked in places. Give it a thorough overhaul- 
ing, cementing on the ferrules, rewinding any loose 
wrapping of silk, and then give it a coat of varnish. 
Let it dry for a week and then put on another coat, 
so that when the season opens this fine part of the 
kit is ready for the first fair fishing day that comes 
along. 



2 COIN' FISHIN' 

ALWAYS READY FOR FISHING 

Many times the first fine fishing day comes bob- 
bing along unexpectedly, and finds the angler grab- 
bing the rod that should have two or three hours of 
work and attention before It opens the season. And 
the loose ferrule may mean the loss of a fine game 
fish, while the cracked varnish may mean a damp- 
ened strip of bamboo that will put the rod com- 
pletely out of commission. The real angler takes 
good care of the tools of his trade; In fact, he is 
judged by his fellow sportsmen by the shape In which 
he keeps his tackle, and a few hours during the lay- 
off days pay big dividends on the life of the favorite 
split bamboo rod, which. If good at the start, should 
last a lifetime with a little attention and care. 

The steel rod, of which there are many In use in 
the bait-casting sport, needs far less care than the 
split bamboo. It should be wiped dry each day 
while in use, the same as the finer split bamboo, and 
It is well to wipe It with an oiled cloth, using a little 
three-in-one oil. This prevents rusting, which saves 
the enamel from cracking off the rod. Then hang 
it up in Its little case out of reach of the kiddies so 
they do not draw on It as a gun or baseball bat on 
a rainy day. 

REEL NEEDS ATTENTION 

There is no part of the bait casters' tackle that 
should be given more care than the reel. Upon 



GET THE TACKLE READY 3 

this tool the greatest share of the quality of the cast 
depends. A reel that jams or rides out of plumb is 
a great little cause for the backlashes that visit, 
more or less, all of us on the waters. 

If the reel happens to be one of the excellent 
take-aparts, then cleaning and oihng it is a simple 
proposition. When the reel is taken apart it is a 
good plan to give it a bath in kerosene, wiping off 
the hardened oil that has caked on the spool and 
end plates and then giving it a thorough oiling with 
a good light oil, placing a small daub of vaseline on 
the cogs of the gears. This will keep it in fine shape 
during the resting period and assure you that it is 
ready for the emergency trip of the opener. 

If the reel is one of the high-strung affairs that 
has been finely balanced by the maker, one of those 
loving wonder-workers of the reel family, and you 
do not happen to be of the tinkering class, do not 
take it apart yourself, but send it to a good reel 
repairer and have him give it a little attention. 

A fellow can put a finely balanced reel out of 
commission easier than any other piece of outdoor 
kit and when one has paid high for a fine tool why 
take any chances with it? Finally, wrap the reel in 
a slightly oiled cloth and place it in the leather reel 
case, which is a good insurance against knocks and 
bumps which could easily put it out of smooth run- 
ning order. 



4 COIN' FISHIN' 

SAVE THE OLD LINE 

If the bait-casting line has been given good care 
during the season it should be in fair shape for use 
. the following one ; that is, as a second line at least. 
If you have alternated the ends in casting each day 
and dried the line each evening after use you will 
be surprised at the strength still remaining in that 
piece of braided silk. 

Take the line off the reel and wind it closely on 
the original spool. I have found it a good plan to 
roll a piece of tinfoil over the spool, which keeps 
the line clean and dry until needed. It is not a bad 
idea at all to run the line through a slightly oiled 
rag before winding it on the spool. 

SHARPEN THE HOOK POINTS 

The plugs should be gone over and the points of 
the hooks sharpened with the small file usually 
tucked away in the box. A sharp hook point at the 
right time means an easily set strike in the tough old 
mouth of the game fish. A drop of oil on the swiv- 
els makes them turn better and keeps them from 
corroding and stiffening up. 

Taking a slant at the odds and ends of the outfit, 
such as sinkers, snaps, leaders, etc., shows you just 
what you need among these little " fellers." 



PLAYING THE FISH 

*' Playing the fish " is a phrase the beginner hears 
when the " regular " spins his fishing stories after 
getting back to civilization. And it is a mighty im- 
portant part of the game; in fact, playing the fish, 
and playing it right, is where the real sport of fishing 
is found. 

To simply hook a game old bass and then pull it 
in as fast as you can possibly turn the reel handle, 
or to drag it in hand over hand if you happen to be 
trolling with a hand line, is about as much sport as 
to have your guide row like blazes and down a man's 
size musky while you sit back and hold the rod. 

This is merely catching fish, and to the fellow 
who is satisfied with yanking them in that way this 
story will not be very interesting. To the good 
scout who wants to get a full measure of enjoyment 
out of his fishing trip and at the same time give the 
game fighters just a little chance for their " white 
alley " this dope will hit the right spot. To the 
regular, who plays the game right from every angle, 
it will be old stuff, but perhaps at that a point or 
two may be gleaned before the last period is 
reached. 

5 



6 GOIN' FISHIN' 

LET HIM TAKE THE LINE 

As a general thing, right after the strike of the 
game bass, musky or pike, and after you have set 
the hook with a switch backward of the wrist, the 
fish makes a decided effort to start for other parts. 
This is the start of playing the fish; let him go for a 
run, but keep a slight pressure of the thumb on the 
reel spool so that he does not have an entirely free 
line. Let him take the line, let him run, bringing 
the pressure down steadily until you have slackened 
him in his flight and have just enough arch to the 
rod to make him pull a trifle. This arch will even- 
tually be the springing pull and pressure that will 
kill the fish while you play him. 

Naturally if the game fellow makes a break for 
the weeds or underwater snags and logs you will 
shove on the pressure more speedily and begin reel- 
ing in. This in order to work him out to cleaner 
water where you can play him to your heart's con- 
tent. 

If you have worked out to cleaner water you can 
give him the line and let him take it in his teeth for 
the length of his run. Then the sport is ripping. 

The line sings through the water in a tune that 
is music to the angler and something to go many 
miles to hear. The main thing in giving the fish a 
chance to run the limit, is to keep slack out of the 
line. The thumb must quickly detect the slowing 



PLAYING THE FISH 7 

up of the pull and then you must quickly reel in the 
line. One of the stock tricks of these masters of 
water strategy is to come back on a rush for a short 
run and then up out of the water for a shake that 
will send your lure or bait flying in the air, and the 
clever rascal will kick off to other waters. 

KEEP THE LINE TAUT 

Should the small-mouth bass or musky get you 
unawares and jump up to the top for a shake, keep 
the line taut, but as he lands back on the water let 
the rod go forward and give him just a little slack 
as he hits the surface. This is as essential as keep- 
ing the line taut at the beginning of the leap as the 
hook is often torn out of the mouth when the game 
fish lands back on the water with a taut line. A 
quick taking away of the slack as he doubles back to 
you, holding him taut as he makes his leap and giv- 
ing him a trifle of line as he hits the water, is the 
real way to save your fish when he tries to danqe on 
the surface. 

During the first few minutes of the fight do not 
try to work the bass too close to the boat; reel him 
in to within, say, thirty feet, then if he shows any 
inclination to take the line, let him run again, bring- 
ing him back a little closer each time. On each run 
make him take the line a little harder, put just a 
little more pressure on the reel spool and arch the 
rod a little more. This tires him out and after a 



8 GOIN' FISHIN' 

few long runs he will come In more easily and each 
run will be shorter and less snappy. 

OFTEN HEADS UNDER BOAT 

Often at the first sight of the boat he will make 
a straight header down and under it. Here your 
work is cut out for you, and unless you show some 
speed he will get a right angle on your rod and snap 
it against the side of the boat. Many a rod has 
been broken by a foxy bass or musky by this stunt. 
As he makes this run, quickly swing the rod around 
the end of the boat and bring him promptly to his 
senses by shutting down the thumb pressure before 
he beats It for strange waters, which are usually 
full of snags. 

After you have worked him close up to the boat 
and he seems to have just a little too much fight to 
make it safe to net him, a good system of playing 
him until he tires completely is to give the rod a 
figure eight movement at arm's length for a few 
minutes. This little game of swimming him around 
In double circles works him right off his feet, and he 
is soon ready for the landing net. 

HEAD HIM TO THE NET 

In using the landing net, make it a habit of han- 
dling one that has a good-sized hoop and a deep net 
so that your fish will drop down into the net and not 
hang over the sides. This gives him a purchase and 



PLAYING THE FISH 9 

ofttimes he makes a last kick that is full of life and 
flops out into his home waters to tail away. And 
in netting him do not push the net toward the fish; 
it scares an honest-to-goodness game fish to treat 
him that way. A scare at the right moment means 
a victorious fight of short duration but generally of 
speed enough to take you unawares, with the rod in 
one hand and the net in the other. 



THE BAir-CASTING PLUG 

In the short space of a little over twenty years 
the bait-casting plug has splashed right up to the 
front as the most popular lure for the game bass, 
especially in the early season and the tail end of the 
season, after the hot weather, when these merry 
top-of-the-water fighters are feeding in the shallows. 
Even in the warm weather the plug has its innings 
early in the morning and late in the evening, with 
a regular winning play during the night casting, be 
it the moonlight variety or the ordinary black night 
with nothing but the stars to give a little light to the 
casting stunt. 

When the short bait-casting rod broke into the 
game out here in the midwest section the plug was 
the natural consequence. Previous to the five-foot 
rod the eight to ten-foot live bait rod was the only 
casting tool besides the lighter fly-casting rod, and 
the game of fishing w limited. When the short, 
stubby bait-casting rod --an up to the barrier and 
started down the stretch the rest of the fishing game 
acted like an " also-ran." 

The s^ort fellow simply trotted right up into the 
iwjit and h^^s st'ay d there ever since, and he who 



THE BAIT-CASTING PLUG ii 

made it popular was the first angling artist that 
whittled out the father of all the wooden plugs. 
Since that happy day thousands upon thousands of 
fellows have answered the call of .the waterways ind 
thus have tapped nature's stores for wonderful 
times and much healthy recreation. 

FATHER OF THE PLUGS 

There is a little story on the origination of the 
plugs that sounds as though it might be true at that. 
The legend tells us that way back in the misty past 
a disgusted and disgruntled fisherman was sitting 
in his boat making sundry and divers remarks about 
fish, all the way from the big musky down to the 
smallest minnow, on fishing luck and the value of a 
horseshoe as a pocket piece on a fishing trip. All 
this because the fish were off their feed and would 
not bite. 

Finally in disgust, and probably with a little show 
of temper, this gay fisherman tossed an empty cig- 
arette box on the water at a rippling little break on 
the surface. Then the big thing happened. It 
looked as though an unseen hand had reached up 
out of the depths and punched the empty box four 
feet in the air. Naturally the fisherman was a trifle 
astonished, regardless of the fact that he had con- 
sumed a lot of bait during the day. But as the old 
box tossed along on the little wavelets something 
lunged up again, and this time he saw what it was. 



12 COIN' FISHIN' 

A regular old grandfather of the bass tribe had 
smashed up and struck the gayly colored cigarette 
box with a snap that sounded like music to the 
angler. 

Right away this live wire of the waterways recov- 
ered the box and tied onto it a couple of hooks, con- 
necting them with his line, and then and there he 
started the thousands of highly colored wooden baits 
that are now dangled so luringly before our eyes 
when we chance to pass a tackle store. And brave, 
indeed, is the bait caster who can pass a window full 
of these multi-shaped affairs without stopping to 
give them the double-o. This old cigarette box had 
blossomed out into a line of baits that have put fish- 
ing on the map. 

GIVE THE PLUG A CHANCE 

There are many plugs, and they come in every 
variety of color, and every last one of them will 
get the fish if you give them half a chance. The 
one big trouble in the plug game is that a fellow 
carries so many of them that he is continually chang- 
ing baits and never gives any one of them half a 
show for their white alley. If you would start out 
with one plug and play that plug all day you would 
get fish with it, but giving it a dozen or so casts and 
then changing to another style and color, with the 
thought that the first one was not what the game 
fish were looking for, is sure the wrong way to play 



THE BAIT-CASTING PLUG 13 

the plug game, and at the same time Is not playing 
fair to the plugs. 

In a few hours' fishing I have known fishermen to 
change plugs a dozen or more times, while I have 
fished with the same old plug and got twice as many 
strikes as my companion. This was not because I 
was such a wonderful fisherman, but because I had 
learned the lesson of keeping at the casting game 
and not spending half my time changing lures. 
When you figure that a strike on 50 to 70 casts Is 
as good an average as most fishermen can count on, 
the time you" lose In monkeying with a bunch of 
plugs is merely time taken away from casting for 
the fish, and a good rule to follow is to cast steadily 
if you expect to have use for your stringer. 

KEEP THE PLUG MOVING 

As I have said before, any one of the many plugs 
will get fish. Some of course have a more lively 
wiggle or darting swim than others, but any of them 
will interest the game fish if you keep It moving in 
the water. To interest a fish a plug has to have 
motion, movement. To let it He dead on the water 
kills its value as a fish lure. Many strikes are made 
by the bass the instant the plug hits the surface. 
Often the bass starts, while the plug is In the air; 
on his way to the point the plug will strike. This 
means that the fisherman must start reehng in the 
plug the moment It lights on the surface. In fact, 



14 COIN' FISHIN' 

by giving the rod a slight switch backwards, the 
plug can be started homeward, and by quickly reel- 
ing it in it continues in a darting swim back for the 
next cast without developing any lost motion and 
thus killing the value of that cast. 

In using the plug for bait it Is necessary to strike 
the fish the instant the fish strikes the lure, as they 
are quick to disconnect with the chunk of cedar if 
you fail to set the hooks promptly, and strike with 
enough steam to sink the hook over the barb. 



DEFENSE OF THE PLUG 

Every now and then some one comes out with a 
line of argument that the plug is not a sportsman- 
like lure and that all plug users are out of the sports- 
man class. It seems that the use of the plug by a 
great army of fishermen has annoyed mainly some 
of the boys who toss the gayly colored fly to the 
trout family and because the pluggers go right along 
in their quiet way enjoying the plug-casting game 
and do not immediately throw the offensive plugs 
into the ashcan these postgraduate anglers are real 
peeved. 

Plug casting and catching fish via that method is 
not child's play nor is it a thing to learn in a minute, 
as many of the erstwhile highbrows of the fishing 
brigade would lead you to believe. If any fly 
caster who has never tried the plug-casting sport 
thinks that it is a simple operation, let him try to 
imitate a clever caster of the wooden plug. An ex- 
pert at this kind of fishing particularly must be a 
good judge of distance so as to place the plug with- 
in a reasonable distance of the spot at which he 
casts ; he must at all times during the cast have per- 

15 



i6 COIN' FISHIN' 

feet control of the reel and the line running there- 
from, for both of these must have uniformity of 
action. 

When the eye tells the caster that the plug has 
winged through the air the proper distance to drop 
into the pocket in the lily pads, then the thumb must 
be clamped down sharply on the line on the reel in 
order to stop the spinning spool, otherwise the caster 
finds a reel full of tangled line, innocently called a 
backlash. This sounds easy and simple. To be 
convinced that it is an art, all the beginner needs to 
do is to try it. 

USE SINGLE HOOKS 

The only logical objection to the plug from a 
sportsman's viewpoint would be on the number of 
hooks thereon. Many of these lures, as marketed, 
carry from three to five trebled hooks. These hooks 
are not only unnecessary, but they are a bother and 
gather up all kinds of weeds and snag whenever 
there is a possible chance, and even sometimes when 
they don't seem to have any chance at all. 

From my own experience I find the plug with 
either one single hook at the end or with one at the 
end and another single attached to the forward eye- 
let far more effective in setting the hook on the 
strike than a plug so armed with trebles that it ap- 
pears all hooks. It is a very easy matter to rear- 
range the hooks on a plug, and this removes all cause 



DEFENSE OF THE PLUG 17 

for any objection that they are not a clean, sports- 
manlike lure. 

MAKES A SURFACE FIGHT 

One big reason why the plug is so popular with 
a great many fishermen is, without doubt, the fact 
that the fight of the bass from the very strike is a 
surface affair, the plug caster having the undiluted 
pleasure of watching the game fish do his tricks up 
where he plays right in the center of the screen, as 
it were. For that reason the surface or semi-sur- 
face plug Is generally the most popular. 

In the surface fight in the plug game it is neces- 
sary to keep your eye on the fish in order to coun- 
teract with tackle skill any trick of the game one. 
Slack in the line must be taken away speedily and 
on the break of the water when the bass goes right 
up in the air because of slack in the line, a fineness in 
touch is necessary, so that you do not take away too 
much of the line and allow him to land back on the 
water with an entirely taut line, as the hook is easily 
loosened if such is the case. 

Keeping the eye on the fighting fish gives a fellow 
a lot of thrills, but it is a trifle of a hard job to reel 
in the line evenly on the reel spool without pulling 
your eyes back to that little tool of the trade. It 
takes some practice to be able to reel in a line evenly 
and smoothly without watching the operation and to 
eliminate the trouble a reel with the level-winding 



i8 COIN' FISHIN' 

attachment will take away the necessity of becoming 
an expert at this tedious, finger-tiring work. 

STRIKES BUT ONCE AT PLUG 

The bass strikes but once at the plug and is quick 
to find out that it is a base deception in the way of 
feed. This means that the plug caster must strike 
quickly as soon as he feels the first pull of the bass 
or sees the attack. And let me say here it takes 
some practice to be able to set the hook every time. 
In fact, it will be many times that the plugger's hook 
does not go home enough to even retard the bass 
in his meanderings, while the single hook on the live 
bait will be taken by the fish, carried for a short dis- 
tance, and then swallowed, after which the bass will 
swim away and hook himself way down in the 
stomach. 

Hooked in this way, the bass does not feel much 
like making any fight at all, because the sharp- 
pointed hook is digging into his vitals, and he comes 
along most easily. However, when hooked in the 
mouth, which is invariably the case with the plug, he 
fights like a terrier, and has free action to use any 
of his stock tricks to throw the plug in his effort to 
get free. 

From this angle alone I feel that the plug, with 
the single hooks, is far more sportsmanlike than the 
live bait on the single hook, because it in the first 
place must attract the bass to the surface to strike; 



DEFENSE OF THE PLUG 19 

the strike must be followed Immediately by the an- 
gler's strike to set the hook and the hook is in no 
way an interference to his effort to fight his way to 
freedom. 

In fly fishing more than one hook is permitted, 
often three flies being used on the cast. With two 
hooks on a plug, it would be an extremely difficult 
job for a bass to hook himself on two hooks diamet- 
rically opposite. In fact, he would have to assume 
the shape of an eel to do so. 



NATURAL BAITS 

Classed among the natural baits of the game fish 
are all those little fish, frogs and insects that make 
up the daily menu of the bass, trout, muskellunge, 
pike, pickerel and wall-eye pike. The fact that 
they are natural feed places them in the list of nat- 
ural baits with which to inveigle the game fish to your 
hook. 

Of all live natural baits the minnow rightly comes 
first because it is the greatest source of food supply. 
Next comes the frog, then the smaller pan fish, such 
as the perch, sunnie, bull-head and such, then the 
crawfish; following that we have the insect group, 
made up of the grasshopper, cricket and butterfly; 
then the worms, wood grubs and helgramite. 

Ofttimes the small perch will make an interesting 
bait for bass as a casting lure in lake waters, espe- 
cially out in the deeper pools. For this style of 
fishing cast out into the pools, allow the perch to 
work low in the water and reel in medium slow. A 
small spinner will help the perch bait as an attractor 
of the bass, and if you clip off the top fin with a 
sharp knife the bait will be more effective. The cut- 
ting off of the fin will not injure the perch and makes 



NATURAL BAITS 21 

the bait more easily handled by the bass, as the 
sharp spikes In the fin are out of the way and the 
bass can swallow your bait without juggling It 
around to avoid the sting of the spikes. 

BULLHEAD FINE FOR STREAMS 

In stream fishing for the bass, the ordinary little 
bullhead Is a good bait and has been overlooked by 
a lot of fishermen. Hook up through the lips and 
let them down near the bottom to swim around and 
attract the big bass that so often wait close to the 
bottom of the pools for just such a bait to go am- 
bling by. It can also be used to cast Into the edges 
of the riffs and in the eddies alongside of the swifter 
waters of the riffles and rapids or around the rocks 
that stick up out of the water. These spots are 
generally the lounging places of bass on the lookout 
for feed. And It is usually a big bass that pre- 
empts these good feeding grounds and lords It over 
the favored spot where the food supply is excellent. 
That Is what makes them big and scrappy. They 
feed well in such places and are willing to defend 
themselves against other members of the family 
that try to steal their feeding grounds. 

The grasshopper is a wonderful bait for bass in 
the streams and the best variety of hoppers are 
those gray or dusty colored fellows with the spread 
of yellowish wings with black markings. It is easy 
to get a fair supply of these by using a landing net 



22 COIN' FISHIN' 

to capture them. The best time to use them is when 
the water is clear and fine toward the end of the 
season when the usual feed, the minnow, has been 
fairly well eaten up by the hungry bass. Toss a 
hopper out alongside of a log or stump, along the 
cut-in banks where the grasses grow close to the 
water, and let them ride down along the swifter 
water at the head of the pools. 

HOPPER A FLOATING BAIT 

Naturally the grasshopper must be handled as a 
floating bait to be really effective and to use him 
with a fly rod is the real sporting proposition. Be- 
fore a lot of the boys ever thought of making the 
now famous floating bass bugs, the hopper was the 
real floating bass bait. If you cast with the fly rod 
and fly, take a little chance with the hopper, casting 
up and across the stream and let your hopper float 
down stream naturally with the current, placing it so 
that it will float down alongside of a bowlder or log 
that may be breaking the surface of the water. If 
this choice bait does not scare up a strike there cer- 
tainly is no bass holding down that spot. 

The grasshopper to be effective must be lively, 
and naturally lively at that, so do not take away any 
of his kick by running the hook through his body. 
Simply place him along the shank of the hook and 
tie him on with a short piece of thread. As the 




Among the lily pads is the real home of the large-mouth bass, and 
the way to interest them is being able to land your cast in the small 
open water, or pockets, among the pads. Two bass were landed 
from the weed pockets right after this snapshot was taken. 




A cast, dropping the frog in the lily pads off the edge of the rushes, 
was too much for a sixteen-pound pike. The pike seem to dote on 
the frogs and minnows off the edges of swampy weedy waters, 
where the water backs under the wire grass. 



gig : 5m; g ti«) ' U»ftSB\BBHitltttf»JMBI I ^^ 



NATURAL BAITS 23 

bass takes the hopper from the surface in the same 
quick strike of the fly, It is necessary for the angler 
to strike him immediately on the rise. Strike 
sharply at the first rush or he gets your bait and 
nothing else. Of course, by tying the hopper along 
the hook the chances of losing the bait are lowered, 
yet it is necessary to strike quickly and set the hook 
without delay or the bass will blow out the bait. 

SMALL CRICKET IS GOOD 

The small black cricket with the piping voice of 
night-time is a good bait for the smaller streams and 
should be used on a very small hook, say a No. 8 
size. Tie him on the hook around the body and 
shaft, leaving the legs free for kicking purposes. 
Use him as a floating bait the same as the hopper 
and work him well in along the shore of the deep 
pools, near the stumps and backwater of the coves 
and around the brush heaps In the water. 

The white wood grub found in the decayed logs 
and stumps and under the logs on the ground is a 
fine bait for bass and wall-eye pike. Run the hook 
lightly through under the skin and along the entire 
body, in this way circHng the hook and part of the 
shaft. Let the grub down In the pools, using it as 
a still-fishing bait, giving it a little motion by raising 
and lowering the tip of the rod. It takes a very 
much overfed bass to overlook this bait when dan- 



24 COIN' FISHIN' 

gled within sight. They have a failing for this soft 
piece of feed that does not come their way every 
day. 

The helgramite, the black scaly fellow with the 
sharp pincers, is another good stream bait and works 
well in the swifter water at the head of the pools. 
This is the natural place to use them, as they live in 
the riffles, under the rocks, and wash down into the 
pools from the riffs. Work them well down toward 
the bottom and in hooking them run the hook in 
under the scales at the neck and along the body out 
through the other end. 



STREAM FLY-FISHING 

The real sport of sports of angling is without 
doubt going after the small-mouth bass with the fly 
rod along a stream. This great little warrior of 
the running waters puts up a wonderful fight and 
when brought to the surface with the feathered hook 
he can make things lively for the angler who handles 
the long limber fly rod. The cool waters of the 
streams give him great vitality and his fight is full 
of pep from the instant he takes the fly. And his 
fight from birth against the current of the stream 
develops a set of fins and tail muscles that just nat- 
urally makes the scrap rapid fire and strong all the 
way through. 

The small-mouth bass of the stream is not as 
much of a traveler as his brother of the lake waters, 
and a big part of his life is passed in learning all 
the refuges and hiding places of the stretch of 
water in which he swims. This is very valauble 
knowledge for him when he happens to meet his 
Waterloo on the hook, and he is quick to take ad- 
vantage of every snag, underwater root or log in an 
effort to break the line. Some of the boys who 
have not followed him along the streams think that 

25 



26 COIN' FISHIN' 

this wonderful knowledge credited to his nibs is a 
little small-town talk, but for a real thrill give the 
stream the up and down a few times ; you'll sure like 
it, and be a regular at this sport for the balance of 
your natural life, and probably along the golden 
streams after you make the long trail. 

WHERE THE BIG ONES LIVE 

Often you will find a big bass who had discov- 
ered a home of his own and likes it; you may try 
for him this season and the next, get a strike, lose 
him, and knowing that he is there, make a bee-line 
for that particular spot every time you fish that 
stream. Although you do not land him, you know 
he is there, and you are drawn to that part of the 
stream with the hopes of eventually getting him, 
and if you do, oh, boy! you tell about it for the rest 
of your life. 

This home is often found at the head of a pool, 
where the swifter waters run in and where the bass 
has found the minnows easy picking, as well as the 
helgramites that roll down along the bottom. He 
has pre-empted this spot, and defended it against all 
comers. Being the big boss of those waters and 
having food fairly plentiful, he has grown large 
and husky. Or the home may be alongside of a 
boulder that breaks the surface, the minnows being 
easily nabbed as they swim around it, not to forget 
that usually the swirl of waters forming an eddy 



STREAM FLY-FISHING 27 

below the rock makes a spot where all the surface 
feed floats on its way downstream. 

SOME LIKELY SPOTS 

Under a cut-in bank where the stream makes a 
bend and has washed out a neat hiding place; among 
the roots of a large old tree along the shore, or at 
the base of the riffs or rapids are other likely spots 
where you may find the big one you are always hop- 
ing to mount and show as a trophy of your skill as 
an angler. As you follow the stream you soon ac- 
quire a working knowledge of where to find the 
bass, and each stream is a new field to study and 
develop. I have fished a number of streams for 
the last ten years, and each trip along these streams 
is more interesting than those gone before. There 
is nothing that will fill the stringer quicker than 
knowing the waters you fish, assisted, of course, by 
a good understanding of the habits and haunts of 
the bass. 

Early in the season is not as productive of good 
fly fishing as a little later, as the fish do not feed 
from the surface until the insect life along the 
stream has hatched and is on the wing. Much pleas- 
ure can be had early in the season by fishing with 
bait, either the minnow or the lowly angleworm, 
known to most of us as the " fish " worm of our 
early days with the long cane pole. Some fisher- 
men look with scorn upon the worm, or " garden 



28 COIN' FISHIN' 

hackle," as they term it, and think that fishing with 
it is not ethical, nor sportsmanlike, yet these same 
fellows do not scorn to slip a few worms on the hook 
early in the season when they cannot for the life of 
things raise the game fish up to the fly. That is, 
of course, if no one is looking, or they happen to be 
around a bend with their pal just out of sight. 
Many of the early season stories of getting the big 
ones with the fly are bunk; they are usually brought 
to the net with a nice fat gob of worms, regardless 
of the wonderful word pictures painted by the ultra- 
purist of the fly brigade who brought them home. 

Why there should be any objection to using the 
natural feed of the bass when he is taking that feed 
is more than I can assimilate, and especially if you 
take him on light tackle and do it in a clean, sports- 
manlike way. 

STREAM MUST BE IN CONDITION 

Stream fishing with the fly is good when the stream 
is right, and it is well to keep in touch with a local 
resident along the streams you fish and have him 
keep you informed as to the condition of the water. 
Many fellows have waded much water without very 
gqod luck and have at times come to the conclusion 
that stream fishing is not what it is touted to be. 
Probably they have hit the waters after a rain when 
the stream was high and roily, carrying the usual 
muddy coloring which makes successful fly fishing 



STREAM FLY-FISHING 29 

almost Impossible. Forming an opinion of stream 
fishing from a trip of this kind and then giving that 
angle of the sport a cold shoulder will lose you the 
real sport of fishing. When any stream Is " just 
right " and you have the dope from a native, hit 
the train, son, and have the time of your young life. 



FEED FACTS 

The deeper a fellow goes into the study of fish 
and fishing the more interesting the research be- 
comes, and he simply wants to delve further Into 
the mysteries of the game-fish families. At the 
present time we know quite a lot about the different 
species of fish, their habits and peculiarities and the 
best methods by which we can fool them into the 
landing net, yet water conditions vary in some places. 
We often find that our ideas are knocked galley 
west by something in nature's handiwork in some 
particular lake or stream that all but chucks our 
knowledge in among the past performances, leaving 
only the most basic facts upon which we can start a 
study of the fish in such places. 

In some lakes you can toss a frog for hours, yes, 
weeks, and not even cause a ripple on the surface 
from a strike, while if you happen to have the right 
tip, by throwing the game fish a certain colored plug, 
or a minnow, perhaps, you have a strenuous time 
taking them off the hook. May be the lake right 
over the ridge, by a short portage, Is pie for the frog 
as bait and not very good for the minnow. Such 
is the work of nature, and until a fellow makes a 

30 



FEED FACTS 31 

study of the waters he fishes and digs out these pe- 
culiar desires of the fish of said waters, he generally 
does not break down from the weight of the fish he 
catches. 

FISH HAVE DIFFERENT TASTES 

The reason for this variance in the tastes and 
desires of the game fish in different waters is some- 
thing that has not been determined by our scientific 
friends. It may be that there are no frogs around 
the shores of the lake in which you can not interest 
the game fish by throwing them the green-backed 
little hopper, yet I have known waters along the 
shores of which frogs lived and thrived and the bass 
of those waters never winked an eye when you tried 
to get better acquainted through feeding them choice 
frogs, and men who have lived along these lakes 
for many years have never known the fish to come 
through with a strike via the green-backed hopper 
route. 

While on the subject of frogs as a bait, who, of 
the angling fans reading this page has ever found 
a frog in the stomach of a bass they have landed? 
During many years of fishing in many localities 
where I have found the frog a rather good bait for 
bass, I have never found a frog In the stomach of 
one of these fish, either whole or in a partly digested 
state. 

In these waters the frog was a part of the diet of 



32 COIN' FISHIN' 

the fish, they took to them with steam enough to 
show that they wanted to squeeze the choice, dainty 
morsel between their jaws, but I failed to find the 
evidence that they were feeding on this tit-bit. Al- 
most all other kinds of feed, such as minnows, craw- 
fish, grasshoppers, dragon flies and such menus I 
have found, but nary a frog, and I have watched 
this particularly during the last four years. 

WHAT BECOMES OF THE FROG? 

What is the answer? Do the bass strike the frog 
merely because they want to pick a fight on this 
little fellow, and why are they so anxious to go for 
him in some waters, especially in the fall among the 
weeds, if they do not intend to gobble him down? 
If there is any angler in the crowd who has a pet 
theory on the whyfore of this action on the part of 
the bass shoot In the dope. It will be interesting 
reading for many of us followers of the call of the 
water gods. 

Which brings us to the old argument as to 
whether the game fish strikes the bait because of 
hunger or just simply because he is a fighter by in- 
stinct and strikes to eliminate an enemy or intruder 
in his water. We do know that the bass fights to 
protect his numerous family during the spawning 
season and that he strikes a lure at that time as a 
matter of defense and will often charge It with a 
swirl along the surface, the top fin cutting the water 



FEED FACTS 33 

like the fin of a shark. And he will often start at 
the lure while it is still in the air, judging the dis- 
tance as he swims and then sometimes even hit the 
lure before it strikes the surface. 

MUSKIE WITH SOME APPETITE 

Just as an example of what the muskellunge will 
do in the way of striking, when there is absolutely 
no reason for him doing so in order to appease his 
hunger, we quote an odd happening upon Long 
Lake, Wisconsin, three years ago. Ed Dressel of 
Chicago had an experience with a thirty-pound mus- 
kie that shows this game fish up as a scrapper for 
the pure enjoyment of fighting. 

Ed had a cast out toward a weed bed and close 
along the edge, the bait being a red ibis bass fly with 
a small spinner. The big fellow lying close under 
the edge of the weeds, darted out, struck the fly a 
crashing blow and started off to his lair, only to be 
snubbed in the effort by Dressel striking him short 
and sudden. After a fight of thirty minutes the 
muskie was gaffed and carried up on the shore to 
show Ed's prowess with the light bamboo rod 
against the fighting rush of the big chief of the 
waters. 

Up to now there was no reason to think the mus- 
kie peculiar in his smashing strike to get away with 
the fly, but while looking the fish over a pair of 
waterfowl legs were found to be protruding from 



34 COIN' FISHIN' 

the throat of the muskle, and with little effort a 
full-grown mud hen was pulled out, much to the as- 
tonishment of Ed and his pal. 

Later, when this same old ruffian was sent to the 
taxidermist to be stuffed and mounted, the taxiderm- 
ist found another mud hen in its stomach and six 
small pan fish and a fair-sized wall-eye pike. The 
condition of the food showed that it had been swal- 
lowed the same day Dressel caught the muskie. 



GIVE YOUR BAIT A CHANCE 

Some days the game fish are actually off their feed 
and no matter what you do you cannot seem to make 
them come through with the strike. It may be that 
at the particular time you are trying to interest them 
in all manner and styles of lures, casting into the 
shore shallows and working the surface, the fish are 
down below in the deeper holes lying around digest- 
ing with a well-filled stomach, or they may just 
simply be off the stuff for a while. Anyway, at 
these times we cannot get them and we pass the buck 
on the reason of their neglect. 

Taking this as the natural cause for the slim 
stringer at times, the angler should make it a point 
to develop his skill along the lines that would natur- 
ally make his handling the fish better so that he does 
not play the game to keep his percentage below par. 
When fishing a stretch of water, the angler who 
gets the fish is the one who keeps his bait in the 
water and keeps it moving. The habit now is to 
carry a well-stuffed tackle box and after, say a dozen 
casts or so, if you do not happen to raise a strike, to 
pull in the plug, bait or spinner and hold a little ses- 
sion of about ten minutes, changing to another lure. 

35 



36 COIN' FISHIN' 



CUT OUT LOST MOTION 



More good fishing time can be lost on the water 
by keeping up the game of changing plugs than 
through any other cause and it is also a fact that a 
fellow does not really give any one lure an oppor- 
tunity to show what it can do by a few casts and 
then on to another one. I have many times, while 
fishing with a beginner, caught quite a nifty string 
of fish by using one single old battered plug while 
he was washing a whole tackle box full by giving 
them a few dashes through the water. 

Any old plug will catch fish if you cast it con- 
sistently and keep it going in the water. When you 
strike a piece of water, note the conditions. The 
water may be particularly clear and the sun out, 
which would call for a darker plug than the all 
white, say a rainbow, perch, natural scale finish, 
green-backed or any of the darker lures, as the all 
white would make too much of a flash and in a way 
scare the fish rather than attract them. For the 
darker, cloudy day, the all white with a red head 
would be the best choice. Therefore, after having 
selected our lure, according to what we find as to 
water and weather conditions, let us decide to give 
this lure a chance, and ourselves one at the same 
time, by casting this plug throughout the entire day. 
It is an easy winning bet that we get more strikes 
this day than on a day when we lose half our time 



GIVE YOUR BAIT A CHANCE 37 

by hooking and unhooking different baits, plugs and 
lures. 

OLD BATTERED PLUG MAKES GOOD 

The dope is that we are fishing most of the time 
and our bait is in the water where it will do the most 
good. When we figure that we get a strike on an 
average of every forty casts it is easy to deduct that 
we must keep right on casting. And it will be de- 
lightfully interesting to know that the battered plug, 
which we thought was not much for attracting the 
fish, really shines out as a big winner, simply be- 
cause we gave it half a chance to get them. 

Some years ago while on a fishing trip in northern 
Wisconsin with an old-time fisherman — in fact, on 
one of my first trips to the home of the game fish — 
I spent about half the time changing to a new lure 
and the rest of the time cussing out the last one I 
had used, getting in a cast every now and then when 
not busy switching baits. The old water scout stood 
the game for about an hour and then asked me 
whether I was fishing for flying fish, I kept my bait 
out of the water so much, and if so, I had better 
hit the trail for Florida, the home of those birdies. 

Then he shot me the right dope; to fish con- 
sitently with one bait until I had at least given the 
fish a chance to see it, going on to explain that there 
was not a fish lying in every spot at which I had 
cast, but it was up to me to keep casting into places 



38 COIN' FISHIN' 

where I thought a fish might be, until I landed it 
where one did actually see it. 

KEEP RIGHT ON CASTING 

Many times I have watched this same game my- 
self and it seems to be an uncontrolled desire to 
change baits more than to cast. Selecting a plug 
from a well-filled tackle box is a gambler's chance 
at best, and you can pick any one of them and get 
fish. I have cast from one side of the boat, using 
one style of lure and my partner has cast from the 
other side with an entirely different kind, and we 
both caught fair strings of fish. The reason we 
did was because we kept right on casting, keeping the 
bait in the water all the time with the exception, of 
course, of its flight through the air. 

Of course, casting into any old water will not get 
the fish. The study of waters and formations leads 
us to know where fish are likely to hang around. A 
powerful lot of time will be saved hy looking over 
the fishing waters before getting down to business. 
Casting into the shore shallows, when the bass are 
in the deeper water, is good exercise, but not very 
productive of fish victims. Early in the season they 
are close shorewards in the shallows and even in 
the warmer weather of the midseason we find them 
there in the very early morning and late evening, 
because they are after the minnows of those waters. 
Where the fish feed is naturally the place to catch 



GIVE YOUR BAIT A CHANCE 39 

them, and when the heat of midday sends them 
way down to the cooler waters of the deep holes, 
we do not waste time casting the shore waters. If 
we want them at midday, we drop our bait down 
over the side and let it go to them, and if they are 
not too lazy, lounging around digesting the feed they 
grabbed in the very early hours, we get them. 



BAIT-CASTING LINES 

There are three parts of the bait-casting outfit 
that must be right to make casting a success. They 
are the rod, reel and line, and of these three impor- 
tant features the reel stands out as the leading 
factor, with the line coming in strong for place and 
the rod nosing in for show. 

Quite a great deal of the smoothness of the cast 
depends upon the line and the size of the line either 
helps or retards the cast, according to the kind and 
weight of lure you are feeding to the fish family. 

A fellow can trot into a tackle store and merely 
ask for a bait-casting line and leave it up to the gent 
behind the counter to pass out his favorite weight 
and kind of braid that he himself uses, but during 
the process he does not consider the style of lure a 
fellow wishes to use, or his rod, as to lightness or 
weight, that will have the work of throwing out 
said line. 

LINES OF ALL KINDS 

For material used in the makeup of a real bait- 
casting line there has never been anything discov- 
ered that made a better caster than silk, but the 
mere asking for a silk line leads you right back into 

40 



BAIT-CASTING LINES 41 

the muddle again, as this silk affair comes oiled, 
enameled, soft and hard braided, round or square 
braided, as well as the line that is braided around 
a solid silk core. 

There are, of course, advocates of all kinds of 
lines, for the simple reason that a fellow will use a 
certain style of line and finding it what he thinks 
O. K,, will never really enjoy the pleasures of the 
other styles because he never takes a chance trying 
them. 

The best all-round bait-casting line, bar none, is 
the soft, square braided silk line. It casts smoother 
than the hard-braided line and lies more evenly on 
the reel spool when reeled in, and there is practically 
no wear on the thumb when casting the soft-braided 
affair, while the hard-braided line will sore up a 
thumb in a day's continuous casting. At the same 
time one retains better thumb control over the soft- 
braided line, as it does not lower so rapidly on the 
reel spool during the outgoing cast. 

DISADVANTAGES ARE SLIGHT 

About the only thing that can be said against the 
soft-braided line is that it does not last as long as 
the hard-braided one, but who of the casting crowd 
wishes to sacrifice the line that casts best for one 
that happens to wear a little longer. Also it might 
be said that the soft line gathers up a trifle more 
water than the harder one, but this can easily be 



42 COIN' FISHIN' 

overcome by rubbing the line every now and then 
with a little oil, which practically makes it water- 
proof and does not affect either the action or life 
of the line. 

Why the square braided should be chosen in pref- 
erence to the round braided is often asked. The 
round-braided line looks better than the square, but 
it is more closely braided, while the soft braid of 
the square line has a certain amount of elasticity 
which makes it stronger under the sudden jerk of 
the anxious fish to disengage the hook, and this 
elasticity or pull gives you a little action or " give " 
when you are holding the game fish fairly taut and 
your line can stretch enough to, in a way, overcome 
your rough work in trying to hurry him to net. " 

SIZES DIFFER ACCORDING TO LURE 

For the lighter lures, such as spinner with pork 
strip, minnow or frog, or the very small midget 
plugs, with the rod that has good whip and action, 
let the choice be a No. 6 soft square-braided silk line 
which tests out usually from twelve to fourteen 
pounds and makes a line of just the weight and 
texture to help you in making a clean, fine cast with 
the light lures. 

When you use the heavier lures and plugs of the 
ordinary brass size, the No. 5 soft square-braided 
silk line will handle the bait better than the lighter 
line, and especially is this so on the steel rod, which 



BAIT-CASTING LINES 43 

is generally a trifle stiffer than the rods of wood and 
does better casting with the heavier line. This line 
tests out at from fifteen to eighteen pounds and is 
almost strong enough for any fishing. 

It is often the case that a fellow will load up with 
a line that tests out at twenty-five to thirty pounds 
for ordinary casting and then wonder why he is hav- 
ing such a merry time trying to put the cast over 
with a lot of effort and a maximum of back-lashes. 
A heavy line will queer more casting than enough 
and as a rod will not stand more than a direct pull 
of five to eight pounds without the tip going by the 
board, why load up with a line that will hinder, in- 
stead of assist, your cast? 

If you give the fish a chance to run with a little 
line when he tries to take it and then sneak it away 
from him when he tires on the run, a twelve to fif- 
teen pound test will insure more than enough strength 
to hold your game warrior. 

FRICTION CAUSES WEAR 

The main reason a line wears out is due to the 
friction on the guides in casting or letting the hne 
dry on the reel to mildew and rot. You cannot 
avoid the friction, but you can take care of a line so 
that it will give you the greatest value in life and 
action. 

Every evening, after the day's fishing, run the line 
along between two trees and let the wind dry it, 



44 COIN' FISHIN' 

but ke^p it out of the sun while drying. This lit- 
tle attention to a line will add lOO per cent to its 
life, as a few times at drying on the reel will rot a 
weak spot just where the strain is sure to come when 
you play the big one, about which you later tell the 
fellow, but don't show them, as it is still in, the water 
home of its own choosing. 



ACCURACY IN CASTING 

Many beginners at the bait-casting sport slip into 
the habit of trying to throw the bait way out into 
center field every time they swing the short rod. 
They seem to feel that about the only thing to do is 
to put steam behind the swing of the rod and let the 
bait fall where It may. Probably from reading a 
wonderfully scientific line of dope on the keen sight 
of the fish they fall into the habit of taking no 
chances of being seen, give the bait the grand throw 
and thus cut down their chance of landing a fish to 
the possible one that simply happens to be near 
where the bait lands on the surface or along the 
route back to the boat. 

With possibly few exceptions it is rarely ever 
necessary to make a cast of over fifty feet, and 
throwing farther ruffles up the water some, scares 
a few fish and occasionally hooks one. Of course, 
after you have developed Into a fair caster and can 
place your bait where you want it, you can add a 
little more distance to your cast, but at the start 
you are wasting time, although developing a strong 
right arm when you ought to be landing fish. 

45 



46 COIN' FISHIN' 

SIGHT OF FISH OVERESTIMATED 

Fish cannot see for long distances through the 
water. Were you located straight above the game 
fish and all he had to do to see you was to look 
straight up through about three to six feet of clear 
water, we will admit he could get your number very 
quickly, but when you are fifty feet away and the fish, 
to see you, must look through fifty feet of water and 
on a slant, you can easily dope it out that he does 
not see very far. 

It does not take a scientific research to show that 
the shafts of light and alternating shadows shoot- 
ing down through the water make somewhat of a 
blurred effect that could not be clear enough to see 
through. Then, again, the magnifying power of 
water, acting as a lens, cuts out any possibility of a 
clear vision through it. 

Sitting in a boat which lies close to the surface 
calls for nothing more than fifty feet on the cast. 
If you are casting from the shore on a bank that is 
a little higher than the water, you are, of course, 
more in line of vision, and here either a longer cast 
or one from the concealment of bushes is more ef- 
fective. 

When you set your speed at from forty to 
fifty feet on the cast you develop a swing that will 
usually land your bait at that distance, and continu- 
ous casting at about the same distance develops your 



ACCURACY IN CASTING 47 

ability to place the bait with accuracy in the weed 
pocket, along the snag or sunken log where you 
know a big bass, muskellunge or pike ought to be 
right at home. 

ACCURACY MOST IMPORTANT 

The most important part of bait casting is ac- 
curacy, which means being able to place the bait 
where it will do the most good in the least possible 
number of casts. You can spoil a lot of good cast- 
ing water and scare a lot of finicky game fish by 
thrashing the bait all around the real spot where 
the game fish Hes. Placing the bait in the right spot 
is not a bunch of luck, but merely practice, and al- 
though you can pick up the casting action very easily 
with an antiback lash reel, you simply have to prac- 
tice to get the hang of dropping the bait in the likely 
looking places. 

The distance caster does not have the control over 
his bait that the short caster does, and he cannot 
keep it under his eye from the drop on the surface 
until it passes out of the danger zone and is ready 
for the next throw. Casting within the 50-foot 
radius gives you complete control of the bait. You 
can watch it and often on the strike of the game 
fish be able to set the hook swiftly by your own 
strike before it is too late, as the game fish waste 
no time holding a lure when they find out that it is 
a base deception made up of gayly painted cedar. 



48 COIN' FISHIN' 



KEEP YOUR EYE ON BAIT 

Keeping your eye on the bait is as important as 
any other part of bait casting, and when you throw 
it way over to the other side of the lake you never 
see it until half an hour later when it is part way 
back for the next cast. 

Last season I sat through a regular three-act 
comedy while fishing with a beginner who could not 
keep down his strong arm. About every fifth cast 
we had to row into shore and loosen his plug from 
the bushes and two or three times he tossed it way 
up into a jack pine. In one hour his string amounted 
to three pine cones, six frightened pine squirrels that 
got away, eighteen snags and one bass that happened 
to be lying close in shore and struck his plug as it 
flopped off the shore into the water. 

SHORT CAST FOR LIVE BAIT 

In casting the live bait with the upHft cast, where 
you wish to keep the bait alive as long as possible, 
reeling it in slowly and letting it swim around a trifle 
" on its own," if it happens to be a minnow, a cast 
of 30 feet is plenty. And the cast is made with an 
easy lifting movement, up from the side and out in 
front of you. This cast is made easy and slower 
than the overhead cast of the ordinary bait casting 
with the artificials, in order that your bait will land 
on the water as lightly as possible. 



ACCURACY IN CASTING 49 

I never cast the live bait, however, as it seems 
just asking the little fellows too much to toss them 
out in the water until the life is beaten out of them 
and expect them to attract fish while you are slowly 
killing them. It is far more humane to kill them 
before hooking, as they will get just as many fish 
if kept moving in the water. 

To really become an expert at bait-casting, being 
able to put your bait in the proper place and keep- 
ing complete control of it at all times, you simply 
must give accuracy the first place in the game and 
slow up on the distance. 



THE REEL AND BACKLASHES 

The rod, of course, is important in the bait-cast- 
ing sport, but of far more importance for successful 
casting is the reel. 

A reel that does not act right is simply an invita- 
tion for a jumbled-up mass of line on the spool, 
which makes a fisherman swear, perspire and want 
to fight, as he untangles that dear old backlash, for 
that is the name of this tangled mass of line. A 
backlash will visit one more often with a reel that 
is not acting right than with one which is running 
smoothly and true. 

To escape this jinx of the bait caster, much time 
and effort has been put in to devise a reel that is not 
only backlash but also fool-proof, the latter effort 
being for the angler who must take everything apart 
just to see what makes it go, some fellows being 
constituted thusly, and then never getting it back to- 
gether again with the same fine adjustment the maker 
had put into it. 

There are lots of reels that are just as finely ad- 
justed as a good watch, and the fellow with a nerv- 
ous hand and a screw driver can throw them out of 

50 



THE REEL AND BACKLASHES 51 

kilter quicker than with any kind of usage on the 
water. 

CAUSES OF BACKLASH 

Outside of any faulty construction of the reel, 
the backlash is caused by two reasons, either the 
thumbing of the outgoing line was done improperly, 
or the line, in being reeled in, has been unevenly 
guided upon the spool. Of the two faults, I believe 
that more of the backlashes are caused by reeling in 
the line and laying it unevenly than through thumb- 
ing, although many writers on angling have blamed 
the thumbing as the real backlash producer. 

If you allow the line to pile up at one end of the 
spool and run up on the end flange, or hump up in 
the middle, it is bound to fall over and envelop a 
later wind of line around the spool spindle. This 
causes a sort of knot or drag, and when the reel is 
spinning out the line on the next cast no amount 
of clever thumbing can stop the reel spool from slow- 
ing up the instant it comes to this layover of line, and 
the jumbling mass of line is the natural result. 

On the other hand, if you have been careful in 
guiding the line on the spool over and across and 
back again, then, as the line carries out evenly on 
the cast, as long as you simply let the thumb pressure 
bear on the outgoing line on the whirling spool and 
quickly snap it down hard as soon as your lure gets 
out where you wish it to land on the water, you 



52 COIN' FISHIN' 

will have very few backlashes with an ordinary bait 
casting reel. 

REEL MUST WORK FAST 

The bait casting reel is commonly called a quad- 
ruple multiplier; that is, the reel spool makes four 
revolutions while the handle of the reel makes one. 
This is necessary because the line must run out quite 
rapidly on the cast and the reel must be geared to 
bring the line back again quickly for the next cast 
and with the least number of turns of the reel handle. 

There is the rub. Most fellows speed up the 
reeling in of the line and fall down on guiding it 
evenly on the spool, probably for the reason that 
after a little casting the fingers get somewhat tired 
of guiding the line. At best it is a very trying 
proposition and one at which a fellow may easily 
slip up on for this very reason. 

THE LEVEL-WINDER 

To eliminate some of this tired finger stuff many 
things have been doped out and much midnight oil 
has been burned to relieve the great army of bait 
casters. Some of these new thoughts have been 
of value, others merely a makeshift, which, when 
they were applied to much practical use on the wat- 
ers, merely caused more trouble than the old original 
reel. 

The level winding reel, however, with the level 



THE REEL AND BACKLASHES 53 

winding arrangement built into the reel end plates 
and made a part of the solid foundation of the 
reel, is a mighty good tool and it is not only an elim- 
inator of line guiding, but It also helps lower the 
caster's percentage of backlashes. 

This level winding arrangement has a double wire 
line carrier that works back and forth in front of the 
spool and the line runs between the wires of this 
carrier, the carrier itself working along a worm 
screw which is turned by a gear from the reel spool 
shaft. 

Many fishermen are of the opinion that this car- 
rier retards the cast, but such is not the case. The 
carrier moves along with each turn of the reel handle 
as the line is reeled in. It likewise moves along 
across the worm screw with the line as it passes out, 
therefore following the line as it is cast out, there 
is no reason for a retard to the cast. It simply acts 
the same as though the Hne were passing out through 
one more guide on the rod. 

Even should it retard the cast a trifle this would 
not spoil a fisherman's casting, because, as a gen- 
eral thing, most beginners try to cast too far any- 
way. Going strong after distance with the cast is 
the wrong dope; a cast of 50 feet is plenty for 
any fishing, and made far enough away to strike so 
that he never even knows you are near. A little 
more effort for accuracy in placing your bait is far 
better than going for a lot of distance. 



54 COIN' FISHIN' 

Of course a reel of this kind, doing so much more 
than the reels of the old school, must have care and 
attention. It must be kept clean and free of sand 
and dirt, especially the worm screw along which the 
line carrier rides. A drop of oil each day in the 
oil cups and a drop or two along the work screw 
will keep it moving lively and with free action.. 




The rocky home of the bass which is often overlooked by the angler. 
From his home among the lily pads off the right hand edge of this 
rock a four-and-a-half-pound bass struck on the second cast, while 
his buddy — a three-pounder — was landed on a cast close in to the 
left hand edge. 




See the little inoffensive snag sticking up in the center of the picture.? 
Many fellows fail to land a cast close in to snags of this kind. After 
casting the rushes and lily pads in the foreground, we landed a nice 
bass by placing a lure alongside this little old snag. Don't overlook 
them; invariably a bass has a snug harbor there. 



FISHING THE SPOON 

A fellow often wonders when he looks over a dis- 
play of spoons and spinners of all shapes and sizes 
just what the game fish think the spoon really is in 
the way of food. As a matter of fact, it is taken 
for granted that the game fish do not take the spoon 
for a special brand of feed, but that the flashing 
hght shafts from the twirling spoon as it darts, 
glides or revolves through the water attracts the 
fish. It may be that these flashes of light resemble 
a minnow or shiner, but I have come to the conclu- 
sion that it is merely the moving spoon flashing a 
fighting challenge to the game fish that makes them 
strike. The bass strikes by instinct almost anything 
moving in the waters in which he makes his home, 
and the pike family, including the musky, pike and 
pickerel, are savage barbarians that strike anything 
moving away from them. 

The spoon as an attractor, when used with any 
of the natural baits, has a place in the fishing kit 
that cannot be taken by any other piece of tackle. 
Hooked on in front of a minnow it makes the min- 
now a hundred per cent better as a lure. This also 
applies to the frog, pork rind or crawfish, not for- 
getting the angle " woim," which, by the way, is the 
choicest delicacy to all the fish epicures. 

55 



56 COIN' FISHIN' 



THE SIZE SPOON TO USE 



About the best all-round size spoon or spinner 
for bait casting, when used with other baits, is the 
No. 3, which has a blade an inch long and is five- 
eighths of an inch wide. This size is the most effec- 
tive in casting for bass and wall-eyed pike, and many 
fellows use it in preference to the larger sizes in cast- 
ing for musky. There seems to be no set standard 
in numbering spoons by the different manufacturers, 
and it is advisable in selecting a spoon for bait casting 
to get one about the above size regardless of the 
numerical designation on the spoon. 

Either the plain, fluted or pebbled spoon is equally 
effective and as long as it twirls or revolves it will 
attract the game fish. The closer you connect your 
spoon to your bait the better, as this will eliminate 
lost strikes through the fish striking the spoon and 
missing the hook. 

For ordinary bait casting with the spoon you will 
save many fish by using a spoon rigged with two 
hooks; that is, one hook close up to the spoon and 
the other one snelled on to the first hook and trail- 
ing about two inches behind. Hook your bait, 
whether minnow, frog or pork rind, on the top hook 
and either let the tail hook ride along behind or hook 
it lightly through the lower end of the bait. With 
the minnow you can slip the first hook through 
the minnow's lips and run the other one through 



FISHING THE SPOON 57 

the mouth out the gills and then hook it down toward 
the tail. In bait casting with the minnow and spoon 
a dead minnow will get just as many fish as a live 
one if you keep it moving in the water, and at that 
a minnow lives but a short time after being slammed 
down on the water for a few casts. As a matter 
of fact, unless I am still fishing or live bait casting 
with a gentle, short, up-lift cast, I always kill the 
minnow before casting. Why knock the poor little 
cusses around and torture them when you can slip 
them the " hemlock " before casting and get just 
as good results? 

SPOONS OF ALL METALS 

The spoon comes in all kinds of material, copper, 
nickel, brass, gold, silver, pearl or enamel. For 
the bright sunny days, when the water is clear and 
fine, the copper spoon is a winner, while the brass or 
nickeled spoons bring home the fish on the cloudy 
day or when the water is broken or slightly rough. 
For dark waters the Skinner white enameled spoon 
is a sure killer and it is equally good for deep work 
and on days that are cloudy. It is not good practice 
to keep the spoons too brightly polished, as too much 
flash has a tendency to scare the fish a little. I 
usually give the spoon a rub now and then when us- 
ing it just to brighten it, but to give it a hard rub- 
bing with metal polish may spoil your fishing trip. 

For a rattling good spoon for all-round casting 



58 COIN' FISHIN' 

a Lowe-Star spoon with a gold and silver convex 
side and a red enameled concave stands out as a 
great fish attractor for most any kind of water or 
condition of weather. Probably the game fish, like 
a human, takes a decided fancy for gold and silver, 
and through his cupidity comes to grief on the 
stringer, and eventually lands in the frying pan to 
help save food and win the war. 

FOR EVENING FISHING 

For late evening fishing and after dark, I have 
found a Pflueger Luminous Tandem-Spinner a bait 
that makes the big ones come across with a strike. 
This spinner Is coated with a luminous enamel that 
must be exposed to the daylight or an artificial light 
about half an hour. When used at night it glows 
like the dampened head of a parlor match. Cast- 
ing this bait with no other helper in the shape of 
natural food or trolling it along close up to the weed 
banks makes a killing lure. The fellow who takes 
a chance at the late evening and after dark fishing 
usually is well repaid, as that is the time the big ones 
are feeding strong. 

The larger sized spoons are needed for general 
trolling for the pike, musky or pickerel, but at that 
you can easily overdo the game by getting the lures 
too large. A spoon with a blade two and half 
inches long and about an inch and a quarter wide is 
plenty big enough, and the most successful troUer. 



THE CRAWFISH AS BAIT 

There are times when one does not seem able to 
interest the bass in any of the artificial baits; you 
may try everything in a well-filled tackle box and 
still the bass don't come through with the expected 
strike. They will even turn tail to a live wiggling 
worm at times, and when they do that you can figure 
it out that they have a particular desire for some 
one kind of feed that you have not offered them. 

The answer is, give them a chance at a half-grown 
crawfish, that retreating fellow often called a crab 
by the kids. When a bass has a hankering for the 
white meat of the crawfish he is going to snoot 
around until he satisfies that craving, no matter what 
other choice foods pass his way. For stream fish- 
ing in the deeper pools the crawfish shines as an Ai 
bass attracter and during the days of September and 
October he is a hunted creature. Then the bass are 
on the still hunt for these tasty bits and you can help 
fill your stringer with real life-sized fish by playing 
the crawfish straight across the board. 

WHERE THE CRAWFISH ARE 

The crab itself is a sort of a cannibal and each one 
bores out a home of his own under a rock or root 
and works that immediate territory. The roving 

59 



6o COIN' FISHIN' 

crawfish that happens to pass too close to one of 
these home holes is likely to be crushed between the 
sharp pincers of the local resident. For this rea- 
son in the larger streams the crawfish are not thick 
in any one spot and the best place to go after them 
is in the smaller creeks and streamlets that run into 
the larger bassing rivers. Here the confines of 
the waters make it necessary for the crawfish to live 
in somewhat closer quarters, and it is not such a 
hard job to get a pailful for bait. The best place 
to locate them is generally in the shallower pools 
and below the riffles among the rocks and sandy 
shores. 

The crawfish Is a quick mover and he has quite a 
habit of backing out from under your hand just when 
you think you have him. Slip along the edge of 
the pools and slowly turn over the stones in the 
water. The crawfish will be found with his tail 
curled up ready for a darting retreat. Do not make 
the mistake of trying to reach straight down for 
the little fellow, as he is sure to start backward just 
as soon as he sees your big hand coming down to 
capture him. 

Instead reach a little behind him and he will in- 
variably dart back into your receiving mitt. By 
working a couple of pools you should have enough 
bait for the day's fishing In short order and that is 
enough, as the crawfish is a hard bait to keep alive 
in a can or bait bucket. 



THE CRAWFISH AS BAIT 6i 



SMALL ONES BEST BAIT 

The largest crawfish do not make the best bait, 
as they have a very hard shell and only the larger 
bass will take a chance on the old members of the 
family. The smaller or medium crawfish with the 
soft shell make a far better bait. 

Of course if you are going to fish a pool where 
you know a few real big bass hang out then it is 
worth while to bait up with one of the harder-shelled 
old crawfish. For all round fishing the smaller fel- 
lows will attract more bass and the real small ones 
make a rather fine bait for croppies, sunfish, rock 
bass and perch. 

Keep the smaller crawfish In a separate pail from 
the larger ones for their own protection, as the larger 
hard shells have a habit of nipping the other smaller 
members of the family and reducing your bait to a 
bunch of dead crawfish, which are not of any value 
as a bass lure. They leave the dead crawfish alone 
and it is useless to bait up with it. 

Also keep them out of the bucket with other live 
bait such as small frogs and minnows, as they will 
kill these bait off in short order. To make them 
happy and contented while waiting their turn on the 
hook, put a few good-sized bunches of water weeds 
In the pail for them to mull around. Have the pail 
half full of water which is plenty, as they will not be 
jolted so much on the carry. 



62 COIN' FISHIN' 

BAIT MUST BE LIVELY 

As the crawfish is primarily a still fishing bait for 
the deep pools, he must be a live bait to be effective, 
and hooking him through the body does not tend 
to keep him in a lively humor. A mighty good 
way. to put them on the hook and give them half a 
chance to move around and interest the bass is to 
tie them on. 

Place the crawfish along the shank of the hook 
with his tail toward the eye, then take a short length 
of black thread and wrap it around the body of 
the crawfish and the shank of the hook. Tied on 
in this manner, the crawfish has a chance to back 
around in the water and at the same time the point 
of the hook is in the direction where it will do the 
most good at the right time. 

The bass strikes the crawfish with a whack and 
makes a short run, then stopping and crushing the 
toothsome morsel between his jaws, after which he 
proceeds to swallow the food. Do not strike be- 
fore he has time to make the run, and an extra five 
seconds after he stops gives him plenty of time to 
put the squeeze to your bait. 

Then strike with a will and you have a regular 
scrap on your hands to land the old past master of 
the deep pool snags and refuges. The bass- does 
not fool around in a playful way with the crawfish, 



THE CRAWFISH AS BAIT 63 

as he often does with the live minnow or frog, but 
he gets right down to business and eats. 

When fishing with the crawfish, keep the bait mov- 
ing in the water and about eight inches from the bot- 
tom. If you merely drop it down and then forget 
it, the crawfish will likely crawl under a stone or 
among the stony crevices and cease to be a bait. 



THE SURFACE STRIKE 

There is no part of the entire sport of fishing 
that gives one more pleasure and enjoyment than the 
surface strike of the bass or trout. Often in the 
early season the bait caster using the floating plug 
will get a thrilling bit of sport out of the bass 
that comes swirling up to strike the arti- 
ficial as it rides on the surface or glides a few inches 
under the water. 

This is the real joy time of the bait caster with 
the bass, as he does not find any of those tantalizing 
weeds flirting with the bait. The waters are clean 
and clear and the bass comes willingly to the surface 
to give battle to the plug of white or many hues. 

And well will you remember the surface strike, 
with the top fin of the bass cutting the water in the 
dash at the plug. Of the most interesting incident 
that I recall of many trips to many waters is an ex- 
perience one June in northern Wisconsin in the fa- 
mous Eagle River waters, when the bass were coming 
to the top, not in quest of feed, but looking for a fight. 

I had poor luck in locating the fish, being on a 
strange lake, and up to late in the afternoon had 
nothing much in the way of fish to brag about. In 

64 



THE SURFACE STRIKE 65 

fact, I had kept only one as being worth while in 
size. 

V SOME REAL FISHING 

Just as the sun dipped below the ridge west of the 
lake I ran into a close-bay. Its rocks broke the sur- 
face in nice patches and the shore line being full of 
smaller boulders, everything looked like the home 
of the small-mouth family. Dropping the anchor, 
I decided to work all shores and the rocky refuges 
from the middle of the bay. 

The first cast brought a smashing strike right 
on top of the water. I was fishing with a Pflueger- 
Surprise minnow, white with a dash of red, and it 
seemed as though the bass could not get enough of 
it. The plug glided along the surface with a half 
darting movement of a minnow. 

At times the bass would start for the plug before 
it hit the water, cutting quite a wake with their fins 
as they rode the surface to the point where the plug 
was headed. In an hour I had the limit, fifteen nice 
bass, every one a surface scrapper and every fight 
a snappy good one. 

This leads us to the point that the fly fisherman 
does not get all of the surface strikes, although he 
does get them most of the time. The exceptions, 
of course, are early in the trouting season when the 
trout are bottom feeding and do not come up for 
the floating feed which is not yet on the surface. 



66 COIN' FISHIN' 

This surface strike is the thing that makes fly cast- 
ing the great sport that it is. 

Trout and bass naturally lie low in the water, 
down near the bottom, if the water happens to be 
shallow, or better than half way down in the deeper 
waters. The location of the eyes of the fish toward 
the top of the head is nature's method of helping 
them see what feed may be floating along the sur- 
face. For that reason it is far more productive of 
the strike to keep your lure or bait above the fish, 
than dragging along the bottom, unless of course you 
are fishing for carp, bullheads or suckers. 

SURFACE FEEDING AFTER A RAIN 

The fish feed from the surface, when nature pro- 
vides the menu at that point. At other times they 
scout around after minnows and crawfish, although 
the wall-eye, which is always a bottom feeder, and 
other fish that prefer the bottom feeding, are not 
much for taking the top of the water feed. Around 
about July when the butterflies and stream insects 
are on the wing, surface fishing with the fly is fine 
sport. Naturally fly fishing along the streams is 
better than on the lakes, as conditions for fly cast- 
ing on the lakes must be just about right to get a 
good stringer full. Late in the evening is about the 
best time to get them up above with the fly on the 
lakes, but the real ideal times when you can figure 
on interesting them on lake waters is after a rain. 



THE SURFACE STRIKE 67 

or while the tail-end of a shower is still falling. 
The reason for this is that the rain beats down on 
the water many of the little winged fliers that ven- 
ture too far out, and these dainties of the fish diet 
are eagerly snapped up by the waiting fish. 

I have found that following along the shore, 
either wading or letting the boat or canoe drift, and 
casting in the waters on to which the flying insects 
are beaten by the rain, either from the shore line 
trees or the air, makes good fly casting on the 
lakes. 

FLOATING BASS BUG ON STREAMS 

On the stream one can find much sport by using 
the floating bass bug which has become so popular 
during the last few seasons. 

The floating bass bug is entirely a surface lure, 
being a cork-bodied fly that is sometimes decorated 
in colors or ** a la natural " and topped off with 
wings and tail of hair, or hair and feathers com- 
bined. This bug is very easy to handle on the fly 
rod and can be cast with very little practice. The 
natural floating action of the bug, together with the 
wiggle of the streaming wings and tail, makes an 
enticing piece of passing food that the bass simply 
must come up to. 

I have not found the floating bass bug as effective 
on the lakes as on the running stream. But it is ef- 
fective on the lakes when the surface is broken by 



68 COIN' FISHIN' 

a little movement of the water. This Is especially 
true at times when the bass are rising to surface 
feed, as the movement of the water in small waves 
gives the bug a lifelike motion. 



THE MINNOW AS BAIT 

The minnow is the main food of all the game 
fish, therefore it stands to reason that, as a bait to 
capture these wise ones, it should come out right 
up front as the popular natural bait, and it does. 
The bass dotes on the minnow tribe, of which there 
are over a hundred and thirty distinct species, some 
of silver and some of golden hue, with the dark deep 
golden striped mud minnow leading the whole pack 
as the livest bait of the crowd. 

You can use the minnow as a casting bait, that is 
the far-flung cast of say 50 feet; as a live bait for 
casting with the uplift side cast of from 20 to 30 
feet; as a troll or in still fishing you can let it work 
down into the pools and swim around to interest 
the low-lying bass with its merry wriggle. Of 
course, to interest any fish the minnow must have 
motion, life, action. A bass, or in fact any game 
fish, never strike a dead minnow that has no move- 
ment or semblance of life. This does not mean 
that the minnow must be alive to be attractive as a 
bait, but it must be moving to make them strike. 

To be a little more concrete, let us take the man- 
ner of handling the minnow in the different styles of 

69 



70 COIN' FISHIN' 

fishing it, in order to fool the game fish into thinking 
there is no string to the feed he drops his eyes upon 
and is about to snap up with a driving strike. 

AS A STILL FISHING BAIT 

The minnow was originally a still fishing bait and 
at that style he has certainly tacked up a wonderful 
record as a stringer filler. In the pools the minnow 
is an ideal still fishing lure and especially during the 
hot weather can be counted on to work a strike out 
of the bass as they lie around the bottom in the 
cool water. In fishing the minnow as a still fishing 
bait it must be lively. It must swim around and 
attract the fish, therefore care must be taken in 
hooking it so that it can perform this function down 
below, as success in still fijshing the minnow depends 
a great deal upon what your minnow does " on his 
own " down there in the bass country. 

There are two ways of hooking the minnow in 
still fishing, either through the lips or through the 
back. The latter method is the most successful, 
as the minnow has more movements when hooked 
that way. It is in a more natural position in the 
water to swim around, while hooked through the 
lips has a tendency to pull its head down and make 
the swimming effort unnatural. The weight of the 
hook pulls down the minnow's head. However, in 
hooking the bait through the back care should be 
taken not to strike the backbone in passing the hook 



THE MINNOW AS BAIT 71 

through the body, as this quickly kills your bait. 
Slip the hook through the back either above or be- 
low the backbone and right behind the top fin. Toss 
the minnow over into the water lightly and let it 
work slowly down to where the fish are. Then de- 
pend upon the minnow to do its own moving. Every 
now and then you can give the bait a little movement 
by slowly raising and lowering the rod slightly to 
keep it awake. 

USE AS LIVE BAIT 

In using the minnow as a live casting bait with the 
old-time short cast — that uplift side cast, with 
which Doctor Henshall made his big success — it 
is well to hook the minnow up through the lips. 
You make your short cast, say 20 to 30 feet, then 
slowly reel in the minnow. Slow up to a stop every 
once in a while and let the minnow swim around a 
spell. Xhen reel in slowly and if some old fight- 
ing warrior has by chance failed to see your live little 
coaxer, repeat the cast. This method has brought 
many big ones to net and although it may not be as 
speedy in action as the later style of bait casting, it 
certainly does interest the game fish and get them 
striking. 

For the modern method of bait casting, the long 
throw of somewhere around 50 feet, a dead minnow 
is just as good as a live one for bait, as the entire 
success of this system depends upon placing the bait 



72 COIN' FISHIN' 

near the weed pocket, log, boulder or whatever 
likely looking bass home you are casting at, and the 
keeping of the bait moving in the water. Few, if 
any minnows have strength enough to live through 
more than five or six casts. What with being thrown 
through the air, landing on the hard surface of the 
water with an awful punch and then being dragged 
back half drowned, a fellow cannot blame a minnow 
for throwing up the sponge and passing on to the 
happy swimming waters of his ancestors. As the 
dead minnow if kept moving in the water is a good 
bait, why not kill your minnow first, instead of beat- 
ing its life out on the surface? 

HOW TO HOOK THE MINNOW 

In hooking it for this style of casting, slip the hook 
in through the mouth, out the gills and then hook 
the barb in through the body back between the top 
fin and the tail. In this way your bait will ride natur- 
ally when reeled in and it will also be hooked firmly 
and stay on the hook through repeated casts. If 
hooked merely through the lips it will fly off on about 
the third cast as the minnows' lips are none too 
strong. But remember in casting a dead minnow 
that the bait must be kept moving in the water and 
started back for the next cast the moment it strikes 
the water. 

Another method used in casting is to hook the 
minnow on a double hook; that is, a main hook with 



THE MINNOW AS BAIT 73 

a trailing hook behind. When using a casting spoon 
of this kind slip the first hook up through the lips 
or head, with the trail hook up through the min- 
now's body back near the tail. This is also a fine 
way to hook them for trolling, as few strikes are lost 
through a short strike when they are hooked in this 
manner. 



MEET MR. WALL-EYE PIKE 

Of all the bottom-feeding fish the wall-eye pike 
is without doubt the most popular. Although some 
of the anglers do not class the wall-eye with the 
other game fish as a fighter, if you play him right 
you can get considerable sport out of landing him. 
His fight is not of the spectacular, snappy, dashing 
fight of the small-mouth bass, nor does he hop around 
in the air during the scrap. He is more familiar 
with the bottom and tries to stay down in the terri- 
tory with which he has a visiting acquaintance. 

The fisherman can be thankful to the wall-eye 
that he is an accommodating chap in the biting line. 
He has an enormous appetite, is hungry all the time 
and willing to feed on your bait any time it is placed 
within sighting distance. 

During the hottest of hot days, when the sun is 
at its strongest, our old friend, Mister Wall-Eye 
and the whole Wall-eye family are on the hunt for 
feed. This accounts for the fact that many of the 
largest wall-eye pike have been caught during the hot 
July and August days. 

Vl^ALL-EYE A BOTTOM FEEDER 

Of course, as he is a bottom feeder, gliding along 
about a foot above the bottom and often lying closer 

74 



MEET MR. WALL-EYE PIKE 75 

than that, we do not waste any time trying to inter- 
est him in the surface baits. His main food is the 
minnow, but he does not turn up his nose at a craw- 
fish or frog, and a good big gob of " night-crawlers " 
placed where he can get a chance at them is his right 
dish. 

In the way of artificial minnows the green-backed 
underwater bait is about the best for him. As he 
is a steady feeder on schools of minnows that make 
their home in the smaller bays this is a likely place 
to take a shot at the hungry old rascal. Pick out a 
small-sized bay or cove and locate out towards the 
center within casting distance of the shore shallows 
and throw your casts around the circle of the bay, 
allowing your bait to sink and then reel in slowly. 
Don't take the bait away from the fish and don't 
make him break his neck to chase after it. He is not 
an energetic party and would rather wait for the 
next minnow to come along than hurry after your 
fast reeled lure. 

TRAVELS IN A CROWD 

If you get a strike from a wall-eye, play the same 
water for awhile, because he travels in schools and 
generally when you locate one of them you can ex- 
pect to land a fair string from the same waters until 
the gang starts off on a hunt for better feeding. In 
this the wall-eye is an expert; he hustles around all 
the time looking for more food. It is probably due 



76 COIN' FISHIN' 

to this greedy instinct that makes them travel in 
schools as they are no doubt afraid the other ones 
will, locate a choice nest of fat minnows and unless 
they stick together some wise wall-eye will open 
up a keg of nails without inviting the bunch to name 
their poison. 

At that the wall-eye is not much of a family fish. 
He sticks around early in the season, pairs off with 
a wife and raises a family of a hundred thousand 
young wall-eyes, swims around among them for a 
week or so, then starts out with the fellows and lets 
his family kick around for themselves. And if they 
don't kick fairly lively he simply eats them rather 
than look elsewhere for a feed. The lady of ^ the 
family is not much more of a home maker; she swims 
away trying to keep up with the old man in his rov- 
ing. However, the wall-eye is generally well 
stocked in the lakes that are best adapted to their 
culture, the deep, cool lakes with a fair share of 
gravel bottoms and rocky formations. The entire 
family do not grow up, but enough of them do escape 
their hungry ancestors and the other game fish to 
make good fishing for them. 

MINNOW THEIR NATURAL FOOD 

For a natural bait the minnow stands ace high 
and of the minnow family the mud minnow is the 
best of the outfit as a wall-eye attracter. Whether 
it is the brownish golden flash of the mud minnow 



MEET MR. WALL-EYE PIKE 77 

or its wiggling lively swim that interests this game 
fish is merely a detail for the scientists to dope out, 
the fact remains that the mud minnow is a winning 
lure for the wall-eye and he is crazy to feed on 
them. Used with a small spinner or spoon the min- 
now is even more attractive than fished alone. 

Of course the mud minnow is not the only one 
that makes good as a wall-eye bait. The chub, 
shiner, small perch and sucker have an inning and 
are good. The pork rind with a small spinner is 
also very effective. Hook the minnow up through 
the lips or run the hook through the mouth, out the 
gills and hook it in the back right behind the top fin, 
but not deep enough to hit the backbone. This lat- 
ter method is the safest for casting as your bait will 
stay on the hook longer than by hooking merely 
through the lips. In still fishing, however, I prefer 
the lip method, as the minnow is more lively when 
hooked that way. You need a lively bait fishing 
in that manner, while in casting the movement of 
the minnow in reeling in takes the place of the kick 
necessary in still fishing. 

FIGHTING TO STAY BELOW 

Often when a large wall-eye strikes your bait he 
will simply strike it and make no further movement 
and you begin to say bad things about another snag, 
but a fairly heavy pull on your line will wake him up 
and the series of tugs and pulls he makes will serve 



78 COIN' FISHIN' 

notice on you that you have hooked up with a big 
fish. He fights a bulldog scrap of jerky pulls with- 
out any long runs. You may bring him up to the 
boat, but not to net him on the first trip, as he has 
a habit of fairly burning the line off the reel on a 
run back to the bottom. 



TO THE MUSKY 

Of all the freshwater game fish that delight the 
heart of the angler because of their fondness for 
the flashing, revolving spoon or the succulent natural 
bait there is none that makes the short hairs on the 
back of the head stand up like bristles as quickly as 
the musky. He's a rough customer from the in- 
stant of the strike until you have him safely held up 
for the snapshot of the victor and his victim, that is, 
of course, if he tips the scales at a high enough figure 
to make you want a picture of the happy event. 

When the musky is on the strike anyone is likely 
to have a chance at a battle royal with this rough 
old actor. He cares little whether the lure is 
handled with the fineness of an expert or just dragged 
along by a rank amateur. The high art of angling 
is not at all a necessary part of the training of the 
fellow who goes after the musky. If he is in 
the humor to feed or feels like a fight he will strike 
most anything moving along in the water. 

It Is interesting to know that he is not a respecter 
of persons and therefore that any of us have an equal 
chance at his nibs if we happen to strike his home 
waters when he is lively and full of pep. Many 
regular musky fishermen, who have been at the game 
for years, have still to land their real big one, while 

79 



8o COIN' FISHIN' 

many beginners at the sport of fighting the big fel- 
low got theirs on the first trip out. 

AMATEURS GET LARGE ONES 

. While digging into the past performances of the 
musky along these lines we find that last season at 
Lake Vieux Desert, at Donaldson, Wis., sixty-five 
musky were caught from twenty pounds up to forty- 
two. And among the largest were two forty- 
pounders caught by men who had never coaxed the 
musky before and two thirty-eight-pounders were 
landed by women on their first try for fame as musky- 
teers. One of these forty-pounders struck a No. 
i-o Lowe-Star spoon with force enough to bend it 
double, which is sure striking some. It takes a 
mighty attractive lure to make 'em fighting mad. 

Many an old hand at the game who has been try- 
ing to land a granddaddy of the outfit would have 
done everything but commit murder to have had 
the rod in his hands when these gay dogs struck. 

The best time for musky fishing is generally early 
and late in the season, with a trifle of a slow-up in 
the hot weather, although he may surprise you at 
any time and be on the feed when you least expect 
it. However, during the " dog-days " of August 
his teeth and gums are in poor shape and he needs a 
dentist more than a feed, at least he is not very 
much interested in what you show him in the style of 
baits, spoons or lures. 



TO THE MUSKY 8i 



FOND OF SUN BATHS 



Ofter in the hot weather of late July and August 
you will find the musky lying close to the surface 
taking a sun bath, stretched out to his full length, a 
few inches under water, merely moving a fin or so. 
You can toss everything in the tackle box toward him 
and he never bats an eye and at a time like this it's 
an easy bet that you will get more fish if you make it 
a little still fishing for the wall-eye or hunt up a 
spring hole for bass. 

But, a tip for a little evening fishing, after the sun 
has passed over the horizon and he is more than 
likely to be on the feed, may bring you a fair-sized 
member of the tribe. 

About the best day for musky fishing is when there 
is a little riffle to the surface, not too rough, but 
enough movement to liven up the water and keep 
the musky on the move for feed, and an overcast or 
cloudy day is likely to be more productive of a strike 
than when the sun glares down on a glassy surface. 

MAKE THE GUIDE USEFUL 

To fish for musky in strange waters without a 
knowledge of the underwater weed beds, the rocky 
ledges and formations, takes up a lot of valuable 
time that could be devoted to fishing. And to try 
the game with only one man in the boat is bad busi- 
ness. It is hard enough work to keep the musky 



8a COIN' FISHIN' 

from mixing things up In among the weeds or snags 
when you have the help of some one at the oars to 
hold the boat right and work out Into deep clear 
water, to say nothing of gaffing him If you were lucky 
enough to keep him on the line that long. Take a 
guide along for a few days until you are somewhat 
familiar with the waters. Afterward you can split 
tricks at the oars with a pal for the rest of the time. 

The musky Is touted as a top of the water fighter 
by most of the boys who talk about him. Like other 
game fish that break water and do a dance on the 
surface he fights that way mostly through neces- 
sity. The musky hooked in shallow water, say from 
five to ten feet, Is sure to come up into the air be- 
cause that Is the logical thing for him to do. He 
usually makes a drive for the bottom to loosen up 
the hook or wind in among the weeds and pull the 
stinging barb from Its mouth. 

Finding that this system does no good, he makes 
for the surface, often breaks clean of the water and 
gives a powerful shake of the entire body in an effort 
to throw the spoon or bait. And generally he con- 
tinues his tactics of bottom rubbing and top of the 
water shake as long as his strength remains. If 
hooked In deep water and kept there he fights an 
underwater battle until worked to the surface. 

Many big muskles have fought the entire battle 
without hitting the air, because they were played in 
deep water. 



SPOOLING THE LINE 

There are a lot of fellows in the bait casting game 
who pride themselves particularly on the skill they 
have acquired at thumbing the reel. And this is an 
art upon which they have a perfect right to feel their 
oats, as the saying goes. 

To become an expert at casting, the main thing 
depends upon thumbing the line, that is, if you use 
the ordinary quadruple-multiplying reel. There is 
no way to get onto the hang of thumbing except 
through practice and to become a regular dyed-in-the- 
wool expert, one must devote considerable time to 
thumbing. 

Many of the great crowd of embryo bait casters 
would get right into this sport if they had the time 
to devote to practice, but being a trifle limited as 
to time they feel that sticking to the long cane pole 
is about their limit and thus they lose the real thrill 
of angling-casting. 

The level-winding reel, in a way, has helped many 
an angler along to the enjoyment of casting the plug, 
spinner, pork rind and natural baits, but the real 
tool of the sport that has made bait casting as simple 
as A, B, C, is the antibacklash reel. With this won- 

83 



84 COIN' FISHIN' 

der-worker of the reel family most any one can, in 
say half an hour or so, toss out the bait with as 
much skill as the fellow who has given much fishing 
time to learning thumbing, and during the process, 
become thoroughly well acquainted with the art of 
unraveling those dear old backlashes. 

FISH WHILE LEARNING TO CAST 

Of course, the new-fledged caster who has entered 
the big family via the antibacklash reel route will 
not have the accuracy of the expert, but this can be 
acquired by actual work on the waters and he gets 
fish at the same time. He can throw just as many 
casts and with less trouble than the regular caster 
who uses the ordinary quadruple-multiplying reel. 
For the beginner at the sport there is nothing bet- 
ter, and for the lady who likes to go along there is 
in the antibacklash reel a tool that will make a 
good bait caster in short order and great will be the 
joy thereafter. 

Where the antibacklash reel shines, even for the 
expert caster, is in night or moonlight fishing. Who 
of us has ever experienced the delights of a backlash 
at night and come through the battle of trying to 
juggle a flash-light, a rod and untangle the backlash 
at one and the same time without losing our temper, 
cussing a blue streak and swearing by all the water 
gods never to go out in the dark of the moon again, 
and there is no time when the bass and other game 



SPOOLING THE LINE 85 

fish are more active and on the feed than at night. 
This is especially so during the warmer days of sum- 
mer and many are the big full-grown bass that have 
answered the last call to the fellow who was live 
enough to go after them at night when they were 
in the humor to strike. 

REELS THAT DO EVERYTHING 

The early antibacklash reels were designed along 
the standard shape of the ordinary reel with the 
long, low spool, a neat appearing well balanced 
winch, and they reduced the average backlashes to a 
minimum. But the reel that made casting a joy 
forever, cut out the backlashes, the tired fingers, due 
to guiding the line on the spool, and did most every- 
thing but " spit on the bait," is a " Pflueger-Su- 
preme " a combination level-winder, antibacklash 
and free spooler that makes a good caster out of a 
fellow whether he wants to be one or not. 

By a quarter turn backward of the handle the reel 
is made a free spool, and the line passes out without 
turning the reel handle at all, the line carrier remain- 
ing stationary while the cast is made, and there is 
no added friction on the line against the carrier to 
wear down the life of the line. 

After the cast is made and on the first turn of 
the reel handle to retrieve the line the carrier picks 
up the line and lays it on the spool evenly for the 
next cast. A good point about this line carrier is 



86 COIN' FISHIN' 

that it Is inclosed, and is therefore sand, dirt and 
waterproof, and a drop of oil every day keeps this 
part of the reel running smoothly. 

The wormscrew along which the carrier rides 
does not gum up with dirty grease and sandy grit 
that cuts into the metal or slows up the reel. As 
the carrier Is merely a slotted block, which does not 
encircle the line, there is no interference at all on 
the outgoing part of the cast. 

THUMBERS CONTROL CAST 

The antlbacklash arrangement is a pair of auto- 
matic thumbers on the inside of the spool which 
bring pressure to bear on the end plate as the ten- 
sion on the line slows up when the bait ends its flight 
In the air and settles on the water. As the force 
of the cast throws the lure out these thumbers do 
not work against the end plate, but the moment 
there is no further drag on the line they stop the 
spool and you are ready to reel in for the next cast 
or play the strike if you are lucky enough to get it. 

On the end plate of this reel there is an adjusting 
screw by which the pressure of the thumbers can be 
regulated for different weights of lures, as there 
naturally would not be the same amount of pull 
to a light spinner with a strip of pork rind as one 
would find with the heavier plug or large spoon. 

And for the fellow who wants to take a shot at 
thumbing the spool, although there are few who 



I 



L^.. 






4-J 


fl) 


■n 






CO ^ 


m 














3 






u 


u 


n 


r 


OJ 


XX 


a) 


br 


4-> 


(/J 


'£. 


r 


_C0 




CO 


'j'l 


CO 



>. 


CO 


C 


o 


ID 


ni 


_1 


r; 


() 






4-1 


03 


CO 


C 




c 


CT1 


^ 


^cO 


m 




CO 


(\) 


> 


C 


CO 


wx 


x: 


x; 


~3 

X 


£ 




X 




o j:: 


X 


CO 

n, 


CJ 


br 


CJ 


o 
o 

■4-* 

CO 


01 


C 


CO 


X 


> 


^ 


"^ a 

bJ3 3 


bl) 
C 


CO 




c 
'r 


r 














r 


o 


X 


U 


tx 




H 


X) 


i; 








n 





to 


r 


CO 


^ 


bJDX3 


o 


c/l 


ID 




M 


ir, 


— 


a 


O 

a 


> 


CJ 

_ca 


CO 


C 
3 
O 


o 




C/1 


-T) 


fl 


-l; 




f) 


(\) 








E 


fi< 


L, 


C-TD 


^ 


ci; 
> 


T) 










w 


Cfl 


r 


(j-i 


(U 




CO 


*-> 


X 


r 




o 


n 


bJC 
C 



E 

CO 


CO 
T5 


o 

V 


W o 

ax 


CO 




tiC 


c 


TJ 


11 




f) 


C 




_U 






1 






CO 




o 

CO 






>, CO 


<J 




^^ 


01 


u 


C 




bD 


bJ3 
C 


X 


o 


n 


C 


— ^ 


■^— ' 




O 


CO 


C 



SPOOLING THE LINE 87 

will bother with this end after enjoying the anti- 
backlash reel, the adjusting screw can be given a 
complete twist and the reel Is a level-winding free 
spooler, the thumbers being out of action entirely. 
Naturally a reel of this kind, that does about 
everything except turn the handle, must be given 
care and attention. 



THE FROG AS BAIT 

Although throughout the entire fishing season 
the frog may not shine as a wonderful bait for the 
pike, musky and pickerel, as the end draws near these 
game fish develop a wonderful appetite for his hop- 
ping lordship, the greenbacked white-bellied frog. 
From the tail end of August right up to the snows 
you can give the frog the merry toss and have a 
very good chance of interesting some of the game 
ones that are skirmishing around looking for just 
such a feed. 

At this time the frog has developed from the 
tadpole stage, he has a strong pair of hind legs 
and he is just feeling the kick in them. Feeding as 
he is at this time from the surface close along shore 
or hopping around among the grasses and reeds 
gathering in the small grasshoppers and other in- 
sects, he is easy bait to secure. 

The ordinary frog basket, a small split affair with 
a cloth top fitted with a draw string opening is a 
handy way to carry the frogs. Place a little moss 
or soft weeds in the bottom and your frogs will 
keep in fine shape all day. Occasionally, to freshen 
them up a little, it is well to immerse the bottom of 

88 



THE FROG AS BAIT 89 

the basket in the water. However, frogs will keep 
in fine, lively shape without water for the day. Dur- 
ing the night you can stand the basket at the edge 
of the water with one end slightly in or leave it in 
the water a short time and then stand it on the 
damp ground in the shade. 

There is one method of getting frogs for bait that 
is interesting and quite a lively proposition. That 
is the night-time frogging expedition. This requires 
two fellows, one to handle the oars and the other 
to capture the hoppers. You back the boat slowly 
along the shore where you have located frog signs 
during the day, generally along the marshy shores 
of the lakes, around the outlet or along the low- 
lying shores of the stream. The frogger sits in 
the stern and as you back slowly along flashes a light 
along the shore where the frogs are sitting, piping 
their guttural songs of love and war. The light 
blinds and confuses the frog, and he will not jump 
for ten or fifteen seconds. Of course, you don't 
want to overestimate your distance and take a header 
into the water, but that is one of the things that 
makes the night frogging trip interesting. 

SMALL FROGS ARE BEST 

In selecting your bait, do not make an effort to 
get the great big frogs. They are not half as inter- 
esting as the smaller ones, although a good, large 
frog makes a fine trolling bait for the large pike 



go COIN' FISHIN' 

and musky. The small leopard frogs and the pick- 
erel frogs make about the best bait for the bass 
family. 

The frog is a good casting bait, and when used 
with a weedless hook and a small spinner, say a No. 
3, or hooked onto a luminous tandem spinner, it 
can be cast right in among the weeds, which is the 
spot where you usually find the bass and big pick- 
erel in the fall season. Casting along the edges of 
the weed-beds does not bring the game fish out at 
this time as much as throwing the frog right in 
among the weeds. 

Oftentimes the frog will be struck short and the 
hind legs stripped off. To avoid this loss of bait 
and fish, and to fool the old fathers of the finny 
tribe, you should use a trail hook. The frog should 
be hooked on the top hook and the trail hook ex- 
tending down along the frog's legs will get these 
wise fins that steal your bait. 

The usual method of hooking the frog for cast- 
ing is up through the lips. For casting, that is, out 
and out bait casting, where a cast of 40 or 50 feet 
is necessary, I kill the frog before hooking it. A 
dead frog kept moving through the water while 
casting is as good a bait as a live one, and killing 
them first is more humane than pounding them to a 
lingering death on the surface of the water. I am 
just a trifle too chicken-hearted to watch the almost 
human efforts of the frog to work the barbed hook 



THE FROG AS BAIT 91 

out of his mouth with his front legs. They seem 
just hke a pair of hands as the frog grasps the shaft 
of the hook in a vain attempt to get loose. Then 
again, the frog only stays alive through a few casts, 
and the effectiveness of your far cast frog depends 
on your own skill in retrieving it, to keep it moving 
from the instant it strikes the water. 

TIE HIM ON THE HOOK 

By far the most effective way to play the frog, 
in my opinion, is to tie one on the shaft of the hook, 
using a short piece of black thread or a small rubber 
band, passing the thread around the small part of 
the frog's body and the shaft of the hook, with the 
barb below the crotch. In this way the frog will 
be a lively kicking bait and do his part until a big 
bass spies him and goes home with the feed. 

Go right into the weeds with this rig and with a 
slow uplift cast of the old-time live bait caster, land 
your frog lightly out among the weeds about 20 feet 
from the boat. Let the frog settle a little, reel him 
in slowly for a few feet, let him rest again to kick 
around that spot, then reel in again for a couple feet, 
let him nose around some more and repeat the dose 
slowly. 

If there are any bass or pike around your frog 
will probably not make more than one trip back to 
the boat before he is gobbled up by a game fish. 
This method may not be quite as exciting as the 



92 COIN' FISHIN' 

regular casting, but your time comes when you play 
and land the fish in the weeds. Your chances of 
getting the big ones and more of the medium-sized 
ones are greater, however, than via the other method 
and you have an excellent opportunity to develop 
your skill at playing the fish, which will make a bet- 
ter angler of you. 



THE PIKE FAMILY 

Of the entire fish family the pikes can be most 
relied upon to come forward with a strike and put 
up a rather interesting fight in the fall. The pike 
branch, or species, of the finny tribe is composed of 
the rough-fighting muskellunge, the true pike, some- 
times called great northern pike, but usually termed 
pickerel by the big run of fishermen, and the pick- 
erel himself. 

In general shape, contour and characteristics these 
three pike cousins are about the same, but in color 
and markings they have a decided dress of their 
own. Of course, the muskellunge is the scrappiest 
bird of the family, and he has earned a wonderful 
reputation as a wise old actor from the many tales 
of his wily fight when hooked, but the pike, caught 
in the cold lake waters or in the running stream, 
puts up a fair fight, although the pickerel does not 
grow to size enough to really make a rough fight at 
any time, unless it may be when landed on a long 
light rod that gives him a chance to do a few stunts 
with his tail. 

While the general shape and contour of the body 
of these three game fish follows the same lines, the 

93 



94 COIN' FISHIN' 

muskellunge is the bulkiest of the trio, the pickerel 
being the slimmest of the outfit. The head is about 
the same in shape, being a trifle flattened and large 
in size for the rest of the body, with a mouth that 
fairly bristles with sharp teeth and a lower jaw 
that seems to protrude a little forward of the upper 
one. The fins are the same and they are in the 
same position on the body. 

WATER GOVERNS COLOR 

As with all other game fish, the waters in which 
they live seem to control the color of the body; this 
is, waters containing plenty of mineral substance 
may shade off the colors in one direction, while 
waters of a certain vegetable makeup will tend to 
color the fish a decided lighter or darker color. 

The basic color of these fish is a dark green on 
the back and sides, tinting off to a greenish yellow 
on the stomach. In some waters this body color 
runs in a brownish green, while the belly may run 
to a cream or whitish yellow color. In the body 
color the three fish may be the same, but the spot 
markings are noticeably entirely different. 

The muskellunge's spots or stripes are of black 
or brown and they run across the body and not 
lengthwise with it, and these spots or stripes are 
sometimes irregular vertical daubs. The spots on 
the pike are round and usually light yellow, often 
almost white of a yellowish tint, and they appear 



THE PIKE FAMILY 95 

as though daubed on with a small, round paint brush. 
They are not, of course, perfectly round spots, but 
more of an oblong smear and they run lengthwise 
with the body. 

The marks on both of these fish seem to be placed 
on the body color while the markings of the true 
pickerel are so numerous that they seem to be the 
body color and the darker tracing of the irregular 
design surrounding them makes a chain effect from 
which they have often been called the chain pickerel. 
These spots are of odd shape and size, being a trifle 
oblong or oval and no two of them seem to be 
exactly the same size, the color running to silver 
gray. 

HOW TO JUDGE THE FAMILY 

As we know, the muskellunge runs to big size, 
having been caught on rod and line up to 61 pounds, 
while the pike has been caught up to 29 pounds, but 
the true pickerel never runs to more than eight 
pounds, and then in rare cases, the usual size being 
two to three pounds. 

In order to avoid a lot of useless argument as to 
the correct status of these fish, there is one way of 
judging them that is absolutely sure, and that is by 
observing the cheeks and gill covers. On the mus- 
kellunge the cheeks and gill covers have a very 
narrow strip of scales on the top, on the pike the 
entire cheeks and the upper half of the gill covers 



96 COIN' FISHIN' 

have scales, while the true pickerel has scales all 
over the cheeks and gill covers. 

As soon as the ice goes out in the spring the entire 
pike family spawns and starts their family out in 
their watery world. From that time on they are 
on the still hunt for feed, slowing up a little in the 
hot days of July and August, but coming back strong 
as soon as the waters cool. September is good, but 
October and right up to the snow days they are right 
after the luckless minnow, pan fish or frog that hap- 
pens to come into their line of vision. They are all 
still, lone hunters, having the characteristics of the 
barbarian. They lie in wait along the edges of the 
weedbeds over the tops of the underwater weeds and 
down among them, snapping up everything that 
comes their way. None of them travel in schools; 
they don't want any friends and are vicious strikers. 

The spoon hook is the best all-round bait for any 
of them, and about a No. 6 size makes the best 
trolling bait. For the muskellunge or pike the large 
suckers, shiners or minnows hooked onto a i-o Lowe- 
Star spoon of gold and silver with red concave is 
right for either casting or trolling, and the big fish 
cannot resist its flashing invitation as it twirls 
through the water. A very good lure is to take a 
piece of fresh pork and cut it into a strip about the 
size of a cigar, say six inches long and rounded a 
trifle like a cigar. Hook this on to the treble hook 



THE PIKE FAMILY 97 

of a spoon, looping on a trail hook that reaches back 
to the end of the strip. 

This is not the ordinary thin pork rind, but it cer- 
tainly does interest the pike and musky and has size 
and bulk enough to give them a chance to sink their 
teeth into it. A little red yarn tied onto the trebled 
hook with the ends dangling along the pork strip 
seems to arouse the anger of these villains and make 
them strike quicker. 



HANDLING THE ROD 

A very Important part of fishing, after the strike 
of the game one, is the handling of the rod in play- 
ing the fish. Not only Is the spring of the rod neces- 
sary In throwing the cast, a thing that makes It un- 
necessary to use up your strength, but this same 
spring Is the thing that plays the fish to a standstill 
If you use It right. After you have developed your 
casting to the point where you can start the cast 
with the backward swing and then let the momentum 
thus developed help on the forward sweep, you will 
find that you are throwing your bait with far less 
exertion than when you start the cast from the still 
position of the rod back over the shoulder. 

Of course, at the beginning it is well to start 
the cast with the rod back over the shoulder and 
the bait dangling down a trifle, say, reaching on a 
line with the waist. This is the position from which 
you make the forward sweep and develop your accu- 
racy at the start. However, using the back and 
front cast gives you the advantage of every bit of 
action In your rod and also gives you more confidence 
In your cast, making the wrist and forearm do most 
of the work and yet doing it with such a small effort 

98 



HANDLING THE ROD 99 

that you can cast all day without becoming tired in 
the arm and shoulder muscles. 

HARD PULL BREAKS ROD 

After the first strike of the game fish you set the 
hook with a backward jerk of the wrist, at which 
time usually the fish makes a decided effort to go to 
the far end of the lake or stream. Right at this 
point many fellows clamp the thumb down on the 
reel and the running fish, pulling like a bull pup, puts 
a strain on the rod that draws it into an arch that 
almost makes the tip touch the butt. 

Right here is where the beginner develops " buck " 
fever. The arch to his rod sort of makes him wild 
and he tries to " boss " the poor old game fish right 
off his feet and drag him into the boat. Very few 
rods will stand a strain and pull of this weight and 
naturally the rod breaks, as there is hardly a rod 
of either split bamboo or the solid woods that will 
not break with a dead pull of six or eight pounds. 

The thing to do at this moment is to hold the 
nerves in, keep cool and let the fish take the line 
for a run, then as he slows down in the run let the 
rod arch and stop him. 

CARELESS HANDLING OFTEN CAUSE 

Naturally there are times when the rod is broken 
through plain carelessness and inattention on the 
part of the angler. Just last week I had a pet beth- 



loo COIN' FISHIN' 

abara rod broken because I failed to keep my mind 
on the game, which was fishing at the time. Up in 
northern Wisconsin in Kate Piera Lake, there is an 
old granddaddy bass that has passed the buck to a 
number of well-known anglers, and he dished the 
same stuff up to me last week. 

Last season, early in July, this old bass of rare 
vintage and much weight made a short strike at a 
frog bait, tossed it ten feet into the air and broke 
water for a clean arching dive ; later the same season, 
in September, he took Ed Wyman's hair fly, coughed 
it high in the air before Ed could strike, and stood 
on his tail for a moment before hitting the water 
trail for somewhere else. 

Last week I was casting the same old bay for this 
rare one, having heard of his reputation and weight, 
Wyman setting the figure at nine pounds. With an 
additional year's growth I had a chance at landing 
a ten-pounder. I had worked the bay waters four 
times, and on the fifth time around my fishing partner 
at the oars called my attention to the broken-down 
muskeg on the edge of the bordering tamarack 
swamp where the deer had been eating lily pads 
the night before* 

I had made a cast. My Pflueger-Surprise minnow 
was reeled to within four feet of the boat as I looked 
at the scene of the deer banquet, when there came 
a smashing strike and my rod snapped off at the fer- 
rule as the big bass dashed under the boat, bring- 



HANDLING THE ROD loi 

ing the rod at right-angles on the edge of the boat. 
The line gave with a snap, and the big bass was 
off for other waters, probably chuckling at his new 
trick on a visiting angler. I never saw him. The 
strike and dash came before I could raise the rod, 
and my pal, who saw the bass as he struck, said he 
looked like a whale. 

KEEP MIND ON THE GAME 

When you are fishin' you got to keep your mind 
on the game every second. You can't study the 
tamarack swamps and land the unexpected strike; 
and, by the way, you never know just how close up 
to the boat they will strike. Of course, you expect 
the strike from the bass as the lure hits the water, 
or within a few seconds of reeling in, but you may 
get them right at the boat, in which case quick action 
is the only thing that will save the fish and your 
tackle. 

I am now lined up with the gang who have tried 
for the big bass and been fooled, while paying close 
attention to my knitting may have meant that I would 
now have a record-breaking small-mouth bass to dan- 
gle in front of my friends. 

While on the same trip I watched a beginner land 
a seven-pound pike, during which he put his split 
bamboo rod through a run of paces that made me 
shiver. After bringing the pike right on top of 
the water and not losing him then by sheer luck, he 



I02 COIN' FISHIN' 

arched his rod through a number of twisting curves 
and ended up by working his right hand down along 
the rod to within a foot of the tip and tried to play 
the fish to net that way. Only quick work on the 
part of his guide with the landing net saved the fish 
and the rod, the latter having a wonderful bunch of 
twists and kinks in it after the battle. 



HOT WEATHER BASSING 

There is no end of the fishing game that will help 
fill the stringer more than a thorough knowledge of 
the habits of the game fish for which you angle, and 
about of the same importance as this knowledge of 
what the fish do in their daily kick around the water 
promenades is a thorough acquaintance with the 
waters you fish. 

The knowledge of the habits is necessary in order 
to save you a lot of useless casting in places where 
the game fish do not happen to be at that particular 
season, time of day or condition of the weather. A 
familiarity with the waters you fish gives you the 
right line on underwater formations, weed growths, 
shallows, sand bars and shoals, as well as other 
homes of the bass, pike and musky. 

After spawning the bass leave the shallows as a 
permanent home and only come back to them during 
the warm weather to feed on the minnows that school 
In these places. Casting for bass along the shore 
shallows on a hot day, except in the very early 
morning and the late afternoon, is great exercise for 
the arm muscles, but not productive of a well-filled 
stringer. 

103 



I04 COIN' FISHIN' 



PREFERS LATE AFTERNOON FISHING 

I have a decided preference for the late afternoon 
fishing, keeping at the game right up until dark, and 
then if It happens that the moon is to be with me I 
stay around and get a few big ones. 

Of course, if I have prepared for a little try at 
the real night fishing when it is black as the proverb- 
ial cat and have selected a cove or bay where I have 
found the minnows schooling thick during the after- 
noon, and have located the weed beds, snags and 
logs in the bay so that I can cast into the waters with- 
out snagging on every throw, I stick around and 
fight it out with some of the old " lunkers " that 
have a habit of feeding on the real dark nights. 
Once you have taken a shot at this night work you 
will be a confirmed night caster. The big ones you 
bring home will cause your chest to take on an angle 
of 45 degrees and all the other brothers of the sport 
will want to know the answer. 

At the morning stunt, four o'clock for the first 
cast is none too early and then the casting is gen- 
erally good right up until the sun begins to send 
down burning rays. From four to seven o'clock 
makes ideal early morning casting and in three hours 
you should be able to cover quite a stretch of water 
and bring home the bacon in the shape of some of 
the fathers of the bass tribe. 



HOT WEATHER BASSING 105 

STUDY NEW WATERS 

In the early morning most any waters that you 
would cast at in quest of the bass makes fine sport 
with good chances of results, among the rushes, the 
weedbeds, the lily pads and along the logs, snags, 
brush heaps as well as off the sand bars and the 
gravelly shoals. I make It a habit in fishing new 
waters to put in the midday time trolling along 
around the lake, spotting the likely looking places, 
making mental note of the weed formations and the 
rocky bottoms. In a few days of patroling in this 
way you can get a fairly good idea of any waters. 

It is not at all necessary to give up fishing during 
the hottest day. After gorging on the fat young 
minnows in the late evening and having a little froHc 
on the surface during the night with another good 
feed in the early morning, the wise bass hunts up a 
spring hole in the deeper pools and makes himself 
comfortable for an all-day siesta. Incidentally while 
lying around he is also digesting his food and doing 
It with the least exertion. 

TRY MINNOWS AND FROGS 

Oftentimes when the water is clear and still you 
can float along and see the bass way down below; 
I have often floated along on lakes that I have fished 
quite frequently and know the waters. I found 
plenty of bass down deep and have watched them 



io6 COIN' FISHIN' 

for hours, hardly one of them making a movement 
that is noticeable. If you let a minnow or frog go 
down slowly aided of course by a dipsey sinker, these 
same bass will generally take notice when the bait 
comes within their vision and one of them will grab 
it and make a short run before stopping to turn the 
minnow or frog around in order to swallow it head 
first. After you have safely played this fellow up 
to the net you can repeat the operation and clean 
up the whole school. It seems that the bass cannot 
resist the wiggle of the minnow or kick of the frog 
even with a distended stomach in the hot weather if 
you send the bait down to them. 

Incidentally the old friendly fishing worm of our 
childhood angling days is a bait that will make any 
bass happy on a hot day if you pass it down. After 
the strike the sport of landing the bass is just as 
snappy as it would be were he caught through the 
casting method. Hook the worm lightly, passing 
the hook through just a nip here and there so that 
he retains his acrobatic twists, which is the main 
thing that attracts the bass when invited to feed by 
the worm. 

For the early morning and late afternoon casting 
most any surface or semi-surface plug is right with 
a preference to the white with red head and the 
green back with white belly, although the new nat- 
ural scale finish has been a killer for the short time 
it has been out. The pork rind strip with a small 



HOT WEATHER BASSING 107 

spinner and a touch of red flannel as a fancy fish food 
takes a back seat for none. For the night and moon- 
light work the luminous Pflueger-Globe plug with 
the spinning head, attached to which is a propeller. 
This bait makes an excellent lure, kicking up quite 
a surface riffle as it is reeled in, and at the same time 
you can see it as well as the anxiously waiting bass. 



AMONG THE CATFISH 

This will introduce the catfish, commonly called 
bullhead, the homeliest fish that swims around the 
home waters. He looks worse than the morning 
after a night out, and he carries a wicked pair of 
horns that he can use in defense when you try to 
slip the hook out of his innards. Beheve me, he 
certainly has it well swallowed every time you hook 
him. The most popular of the whole catfish fam- 
ily is the little fellow, the bullhead, and he is also the 
most common. It is rare that this specie reaches a 
length of 1 8 inches or a weight of four pounds, the 
average size being under a pound. 

The bullhead is at home in nearly all ponds, lakes 
and streams. He prefers the muddy bottoms and 
likes to wallow around in the mud and weeds, eating 
everything that comes in his way, and disposing of 
a lot of feed that would be better for the real game 
fish. The warmer the water the better he likes 
it, and for that reason you often get him when the 
other fish have left the warmer places for the cool 
spring holes. He is a lazy rascal, and although 
eager at all times to take most any bait offered, he 
does not speed up in an effort to get your bait unless 
you drop it down to him. 

108 



AMONG THE CATFISH 109 



FEEDS ALONG THE BOTTOM 

Meandering along on the bottom or a few inches 
above it, diving down every now and then to root 
out a little food from the bottom, he makes it neces- 
sary for you to fish with your bait about eight inches 
off the bottom. If he comes anywhere near it he 
will swallow the bait like a sucker. If the fish is 
fairly large, as soon as he feels the prick of the hook 
away he goes for quite a run and at fairly good 
speed, ending up with a series of pulls and tugs that 
would do credit to pike-perch, better known as the 
wall-eye, who is a past master at that little game. 

A dainty in the bait line for his nibs is the lowly 
angle worm, and he certainly loves the juicy worm. 
Hook them on so they may wriggle a little and 
be more attractive to the bullhead. A good method 
is to slip the hook through about a third of the way 
down the length of the worm, then skip a third 
from the tail end and slip the hook through again. 
In this way the worm is free to curl and turn 
in an enticing way around the shaft of the hook and 
make an inviting-looking feed for a voracious flat- 
mouthed bullhead. 

APPETITE EASILY SATISFIED 

The worm is not the only bait, however. The 
soft-shelled crab, a piece of ordinary beef liver, a 
mussel, a small strip of raw beef are good. What 



no COIN' FISHIN' 

has been found most excellent, in the streams in the 
holes around piers and bridge abutments, is chicken 
liver. This latter bait should be hardened by roll- 
ing in a little sugar about 24 hours before you intend 
to use it. 

In fishing for the bullhead the most ordinary tackle 
is just as effective as anything; say a long cane pole 
of about 14 feet with a stretch of linen line about 
the same length as the pole. On the end of the line 
it is well to use a three-foot gut leader. The hooks 
should be large rather than the smaller sizes. He 
takes a large hook just as eagerly as a small one if 
baited, and as the hook is always swallowed and 
caught well down in his tummy or throat, you will 
find it far easier to disgorge the larger hook than 
the little one. Best way to disgorge the hook is to 
split the fish along the tummy to the gills and make 
the grip strong behind the head so he does not slash 
you with the sharp old horns. One wriggle of the 
head and he gives you a punch that will develop into 
a lovely sore in a day or so. 

TWO HOOKS ON THE LEADER 

Two hooks on the line are very effective, one tied 
on the end of the leader and baited with raw meat 
and the other one up about six inches baited with 
the wriggling worm. If the bullhead overlooks the 
meat he is almost certain to see the worm. Use a 
float if you like to lounge on the bank or in the boat 



AMONG THE CATFISH iii 

and when it begins to bob just raise the inquisitive 
rascal into the boat and go after another one. 
When they start biting you can figure on a good 
string, as they are generally as thick as fleas on a 
cur dog. 

The main reason for using the gut leader is that 
It makes the line stand up in the water, and you can 
judge the distance to the bottom better than with 
the line alone. Slip a couple of split buckshot sink- 
ers or dipsey sinker on the leader to take the bait 
down. 

Of course, you can get more sport out of the bull- 
head game if you use a long whippy steel fishing 
rod and a reel. In fact, quite a little real fun can 
be coaxed out of the bullheads this way if none of 
the game fish are around. 

The nearest thing to a game fish in the cat family 
is the channel or spotted cat. This member of the 
family is the real sport of the outfit, and in color 
runs from a dark gray or slate color on the back to 
a white tummy, and is dotted with quite a few black 
spots. He likes the cooler waters of the running 
streams, and is right at home on the gravel or stone 
bottoms. He is a far cleaner-cut fish than any of 
the other cats, and he puts up more of a scrap than 
the rest of the gang. 

The channel cat takes nearly all natural baits. 
He likes the live minnow, frog and crawfish and a 
regular bass-casting outfit is the right dope for him. 



112 COIN' FISHIN' 

As an average weight he runs about four pounds, 
but they have been taken up to twenty, and eight or 
ten pounds of live channel cat can stir up quite a 
fight before you land him. He is naturally a bottom 
feeder and you must send the bait down to him to 
get a connection. 

All catfish are very tenacious of life and it is well 
to kill them as soon as caught. 



WHEN TO GO A-FISHING 

Of course, the best time to go a-fishing is when 
the fish are biting and, following the clew a little 
further we find that when the fish are biting is when 
they are feeding. There are many times when the 
angler comes in with the remark that " they wouldn't 
strike at anything, not even a nibble," or, " this lake 
is certainly fished out, I never raised a strike." The 
answer to all such yelps from the tired member of 
the fishing gang is, " the fish were not feeding," or 
in the vernacular of the angler, they were off the 
feed. 

As to the time of day to expect the best fishing, 
taking the whole season as a basis, I have found the 
early morning fishing from four to eight o'clock and 
the late afternoon fishing from, say, four to eight, 
about the most dependable for all kind of fresh water 
game fish. The hours in between are the most bar- 
ren for results, although one will get fish by work- 
ing right through the day, as this is natural accord- 
ing to the law of averages, which applies to fishing 
as well as any other end of sport, pleasure or busi- 
ness. There are always bound to be some of the 
fish feeding any old time and some of them don't 
give a particular hang when they feed. 

113 



114 COIN' FISHIN' 



FEED IN THE SHALLOWS 



And in the early morning and late evening fishing 
we find the game fish in the shallows and the reason 
they have meandered shorewards is because the min- 
nows are disporting thereabouts feeding on the small 
water insects so they will be well fattened for these 
same game fish to fill up their tummy. " It is simply 
a law of nature; the game fish feed on the minnows 
because the minnows were put there for that pur- 
pose. Of course, this is tough luck for the merry 
little minnow who nips his feed from the unfortunate 
victims that light on the surface, but it's a case of 
hog eat hog, which ends up by bringing our aver- 
age of heavyweights up to a higher point. 

At the same time the game ones do not overlook 
the juicy frog that plays along the shore among the 
snags and trees that jut out into the water. The 
crawfish meets a like fate, being eagerly snapped up 
as he backs into the danger zone. All of these dif- 
ferent varieties of feed are in the shallows, and the 
growl of an empty stomach naturally brings the game 
fish to the spot he knows will produce the toothsome 
morsels he loves. While he is feeding is the time 
to make the killing, even if it does bring you out 
before breakfast and keep you out after the evening 
chuck. 



WHEN TO GO A-FISHING ii5 

DIGESTS FOOD IN DEEP POOLS 

After making a choice of these varied eats the 
bass goes back to the deeper pools, there to lie and 
digest his meal, and at this time it is particularly 
hard to interest him in any menu no matter how beau- 
tiful in color and action. He just lazies around on 
the bottom, dreaming sweet dreams and not worry- 
ing at all about the high cost of living and the peace 
league. 

You can interest them sometimes when they are 
way down below, however, but you have to send your 
bait right down to them and rub it close to their 
nose to make them come through with a strike, and 
at that I believe they strike at that time more out 
of fighting instinct than through hunger. For this 
reason I have found it well to carry a little touch 
of red on the lure, pork rind, minnow or frog that I 
send down for their benefit, and the added flash of a 
small spoon or spinner seems to wake them up a 
trifle. 

PIKE STRIKES ANY TIME 

I have found that the pike, pickerel, muskellunge 
and wall-eyed pike will strike oftener than the bass 
during the midday siesta; this is probably because 
these fish are more of a rustler or barbarian type 
than the bass, or have simply an instinct of com- 



ii6 COIN' FISHIN' 

bativeness with which the bass is not inoculated as 
much as the other rougher fighters of the fish tribe. 
At night fishing it is well to use only the floating 
artificials and those of white make the best lure for 
the night feeders. It is work enough to handle 
a bait at night that rides the surface not to add to 
the tough-luck possibilities by having the artificial 
go down and hook up with the many snags of the 
underwaters. 

SHOREWARDS AT END OF SEASON 

As the season crawls along toward the end we 
again find the fish feeding in the shallows, and the 
early morning and late evening fishing are in strong. 
At the real tail end of the season the morning fish- 
ing produces better than the evening, and the game 
fish having felt the touch of winter in the colder 
waters, stick in the shallow waters for what warmth 
they can get from the rays of the sun that burn down 
in the shoreward reaches. At this period the bass 
are mighty hungry and feed right along in an effort 
to fatten up for the long rest during the winter, 
when they hibernate, the large mouth digging into 
the seed roots and mud of the bottoms, while the 
small mouth makes for the rocky crevices until the 
cold waves pass and the warm sun brings them back 
to action in April. 

A good rule to follow is to fish early and fish late, 
or, fish all the time if you love the game and find 



WHEN TO GO A-FISHING 117 

pleasure on the water. Of course, it is not all of 
fishing to catch fish, but nevertheless, we all like to 
bring home a fair string to show the rest of the boys 
fisherman. 



THE FLOATING BASS BUG 

During the past three years the modern floating 
bass bug has come into favor as the real big bet in 
going after the bass of the running streams. Of 
course, the floating bass bug is not conceded to be 
the one and only fly method of getting the game fish, 
as the wet or drowned fly will take more fish through- 
out the season than the floater, but at certain times 
and conditions of waters the floating bass bug makes 
a winning lure. 

Take a good bass stream with a little movement to 
it in the season when the insect life along the stream 
is in full flight, and particularly when there are plenty 
of butterflies, moths and grasshoppers on the wing, 
and playing the floating bass bug will fill the creel 
quicker than any other style of fly casting. 

Many well-known fly fishermen have made killings 
in the past few seasons on the upper Mississippi 
waters around Alma about the middle and tail-end 
of August, when those waters are great for the 
small-mouth and fly, and it is from the use of the 
floater up in that section that quite a large part of 
its popularity has been scattered broadcast. 

ii8 




Where the old rotted tree trunks, blown down by nature, extend 
out into the water, look for the lonesome hiding place of a big old 
pike or musky, who is the freebooter of that particular neighbor- 
hood. Drop your lure alongside and watch out for snagging on the 
underwater limbs. Three consecutive seasons we landed big pike 
from this hangout . 




Under the shadows of this log which floated out and run aground the 
game fish lurk awaiting the luckless pan fish and the younger of 
their own tribe. Cast the ends, then work along the log covering its 
entire length. A bass was taken from both ends of this homey bass 
spot. 



: . IV,'!'.' MAl.'.l ^JMLMJ U il 



THE FLOATING BASS BUG 119 



TIED IN MANY STYLES 

At first the tying of this bug ran along the old 
style and there was no set of patterns or standard 
styles, as in the old line of flies, of which there are 
something like 5,000 patterns from which a fellow 
can fill a flybook to his heart's desire and sometimes 
much to the amusement of the game fish tribe, who, 
no doubt, enjoy the variety of the baits and lures 
passed out to them. 

When the bass bug started along the road to 
success as a winning lure in the fish-attracting game, 
some of the fathers of the sport gathered together 
and selected the best patterns. These particular 
bugs were named and grouped together as standards 
for the present as well as future fishing fans, and 
these patterns are now recognized in the fishing fra- 
ternity so that a fellow can ask for a certain bug and 
not wonder whether it will be a cross between a 
Black Gnat and a Yellow Sally, or a Whirling Dun 
and a Royal Coachman. 

A FEW STANDARD BUGS 

Among the standardized patterns that will be 
found effective lures on practically any waters are 
the following styles : Peet's Favorite, white body, 
brown stripes, white tail and wings; Dilg's Gem, 
orange-brown body, black stripes, brown and gray 
tail, brown turkey wings; Clark's Fancy, white body, 



I20 COIN' FISHIN' 

red tail and wings; Zane Gray, gray body, stripes, 
tail and wings; Carter Harrison, brown body, yel- 
low stripes, fox squirrel tail and wings; Wikler's 
Discovery, yellow body, red stripes, red and white 
tail; Doctor Henshall, brown body, red stripes, 
brown tail, red and white wings; Ref's Murderer, 
white body, brown tail, pheasant wings; Bob Davis, 
yellow body, tail and wings; St. John's Pal, red body, 
black stripes, yellow tail, mallard wings; Hadley's 
Choice, yellow body, black stripes, white tail, yellow 
and white wings; Dixie Carroll, natural body, golden 
pheasant wings and tail. 

Some of these patterns are entirely tied with wings 
and tail of hair, while others are a combination of 
hail and feathers. It takes a fair-to-middling dys- 
peptic old bass to lie quietly and not make a smash 
at the wiggling life-like motion of the long trailing 
hairs of the tail and wings of these bugs. And when 
the water starts these hairs to moving the bug seems 
alive, and it is this action in the water that has made 
them the wonderful lure they are. 

Casting the ordinary dry fly is about, the most 
difficult part of the fishing art, and it takes an expert 
at wet-fly casting to step up into the dry-fly class, 
but with the floating bass bug the game is different. 
A fellow can drop into the hang of casting the bugs 
without much practice. If one is good at bait cast- 
ing the bug casting is easy to acquire. You do not 
have to worry about how the bug will land on the 



THE FLOATING BASS BUG 121 

surface, as it invariably drops down on the water 
with wings up and floating, Hke a real-for-sure bug 
would float if it happened to judge short on the dis- 
tance and thus become fish feed. 

HOW TO CAST THE FLOATER 

When the bass are on the rise for surface feed, 
after the unlucky insect that cut his corners too close, 
then is the real time to give him a shot of the float- 
ing bass bug. It works the best on fast water, and, 
if cast up and across the stream so that it has a nat- 
ural float downstream, the bug will not go far before 
a bass comes up and connects. 

In making the cast it is well to study the current 
and try to work your casting water in such a way that 
the line, leader and bug will light on water moving 
at the same speed so that the weight of the line, if 
on a slower stretch of water, will not drag under 
the bug. In fact, It Is well to cast the bug with 
a slack line, as this generally gives the bug sufiicient 
floating distance by the time the slack Is worked 
out of the line to ride along over some old bass' 
home. 

Work the floating bass bugs so that they float 
down around the rocks in the waters, among the 
eddies alongside the pools and into the head of the 
pools from the swifter water running into them, 
where you usually find a big game fish that has pre- 
empted this location of easy feed and lots of it. 



122 COIN' FISHIN' 

That, of course, Is what makes him big. Most any- 
where that the bug will float In waters that are real 
bass waters you will find this a rather taking lure 
and one easy to handle. As It brings the surface 
strike, In all its glory, what more can a fisherman 
ask? 



TAIL-END TROUTING 

At the opening of the trouting season the waters 
are, nine times out of ten, high and roily, filling the 
stream from bank to bank and rushing along, gather- 
ing driftwood, mud and sand, until it takes a mighty 
clear-eyed trout to do more than hope to see any- 
thing in the food line. What he does see is the 
worm and minnow. He is not even looking for a 
fly for the very good reason that he is bottom feed- 
ing, there being no flies in hatch on the waters that 
early, anyway. 

Following the rules of nature, which are generally 
simple laws, the trout feeds on the food supply that 
the great ruler of the streams and rushing waters 
supplies. The worm is washed along from the 
banks where the swift water has loosened the earth 
and is carried downstream until a hungry fish with 
a big appetite and a small supply of food awaits the 
juicy dainty as it rolls and wriggles close to the bot- 
tom. 

MINNOW AN EARLY SEASON FOOD 

Most fishermen coming home from the early sea- 
son trip to the trouting waters, that is the wise fish- 

123 



124 COIN' FISHIN' 

erman who does not resort to " bunk," will admit 
that he got his fish with either the worm or minnow. 
This is especially so if he happens to bring home a 
fairly big one. He will not tell the story that they 
were simply crazy after his flies. 

Until the insects begin to hatch along the stream 
side, the trout are not overanxious to come to the 
surface, but along through June and July the fly 
fisherman is right in his glory. As the waters fall 
down through August the fly game also quiets down. 
Streams that were full and rushing are generally 
mere skeletons of their former selves, and the water 
is clear and fine, which makes it easy stuff for the 
trout to see what is going on along his feeding 
waters. Not so often now do you find him along 
the open stretches. He has hiked away to the pools, 
along the cut-in banks where the stream has washed 
away a safe refuge among the roots that curl down 
under the water, by the driftwood and logs that 
have become wedged in the water, and in fact, any 
place that looks like a quiet safe place to hang about. 
For these hiding places I have found a Merino grass- 
hopper a mighty inviting fly for the big trout. 

DRY FLY A WINNER 

And here also is where the dry fly comes into its 
own, and if you play it right you will get a piece of 
fishing that will make any other line of stream work 
look like a two-spot without any helpers. To the 



TAIL-END TROUTING 125 

ordinary fly fisherman, who has never tried the dry 
fly, this end of the game looks like something a little 
beyond him. 

Of course, during the June and July fly casting, 
the beginner could get his fish even if his casting was 
a bit clumsy and noisy. But for the dry fly stunt 
with the clear fine waters, and the August stillness 
of the woods which is so naked, and when sounds 
seem to carry farther and quicker, the casting must 
be done with more fineness and without the usual 
splash and shuffle in the waters. 

In fishing the dry fly, no effort should be made to 
cover a big stretch of water, but the real effort should 
be to approach the pools or hiding places of the 
trout carefully and quietly. It is essentially neces- 
sary that such casting water should be studied be- 
fore the cast is made so that the greatest chance 
may be had before giving the trout, especially the 
big ones, the scare before you get in your good 
work. A big trout may be lying even 40 feet away, 
just waiting for a nice fat little insect to come float- 
ing into his line of vision, when a splash through a 
careless footing gives him the high sign that it's 
time to beat it to a safer place until the danger blows 
over. 

The right way to fish the dry fly is upstream, 
working into the water below the pools, boulders 
or refuge, so that you can make your cast up and 
slightly across the stream. This gives your fly a 



126 COIN' FISHIN' 

chance to float naturally downstream with the cur- 
rent, which is, of course, the object of the dry fly. 
In casting for the big fellow that you feel sure lies 
near the boulder, make the cast a httle above it, so 
that the fly will float down and around it, in the 
swift little whirl of water that generally curls around 
such old trout hiding places. Although the trout is 
lying there waiting for just such an invitation to 
feed, the fly floating down takes him by surprise and 
he strikes like a smashing short-arm jolt of a heavy- 
weight. If you fail to get your strike on the first 
cast do not make a second try at the same spot right 
away, but cast, say, over into the pool along the 
other shore, then afterward make another cast up 
around the boulder. 

WATCH THE SLACK IN LINE 

Care must be taken in pulling in the slack of the 
line so that the floating fly will not be drawn under 
the water by the weight of the trailing line, and an 
efi^ort should be made to make the cast on water that 
is flowing evenly, otherwise should the fly be carried 
along more swiftly than the leader or line, it will 
be drawn down into the water, and the effect of a 
floating insect lost. The cast must be made lightly 
and accurately, and it is not at all necessary to cast 
as far as with the wet fly. In casting the dry fly 
do not raise the tip of the rod, as is usually the case 
in fishing the wet fly. This little movement, no mat- 



TAIL-END TROUTING 127 

ter how slight, will pull the floater under the water, 
and the effect of the dry fly will be killed immediately. 
At the same time do not begin stripping in the 
line until the fly has started down stream with the 
flow of the current. 



THE BASS FAMILY 

Both species of the black bass family, the large 
mouth and the small, comprise the most popular 
game fish of our inland waters, and when it comes to 
favorites we have to pass them the blue ribbon as 
the most plucky, game and scrappy fresh-water fish 
any angler can hope to connect up with in many a 
day's fishing. Both large and small mouth are truly 
an American fish, American born and bred, and with 
the same fighting spirit that made the Boche yell 
" kamerad " when the Yanks went over the top. 

With a good old pal at the oars to handle the boat 
and a husky black bass on the fighting end of the line, 
a fisherman has all the joys right before him that 
he will want from any other member of the game 
fish family. No other fish can equal the fighting 
dash of the bass. 

His widespread distribution throughout the 
United States only serves to increase his popularity, 
for he is found in most lakes and streams from the 
Rockies east to the Appalachian chain, and in the 
North and South. Both species are plentiful 
throughout the entire Mississippi basin, and in the 
cool, clear, spring-fed lakes and streams of northern 
Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan he seems to 

128 



THE BASS FAMILY ia^ 

have selected his permanent abode and base of oper- 
ations and hung out the " at home " sign; for he sure 
is found at his best in these waters. 

BASS BREEDS FAST 

Another thing we can be thankful for and that 
is the fact that the bass is a thorough disbeliever in 
race-suicide. He has a highly developed paternal 
instinct that makes him realize the necessity of pro- 
tecting his youngsters until they are able to scurry 
around for themselves and keep out of the way of 
the big fellows, who are ever ready to cut their per- 
centage down. 

The spawning season of the bass varies in different 
sections of the country. For instance, in the north- 
ern middle states June and up into July are the 
months they deposit their spawn, while in the south- 
ern middle states the season begins sometimes as 
early as May. 

It is interesting to note that the small mouth 
bass prefers to deposit her spawn in nests prepared 
on sand or gravelly bottoms, along bars and on rocky 
ledges, while the large mouth usually picks the moss 
beds, brush heaps, underwater logs or windfalls, or 
the muddy bottoms among the underwater weeds, 

FEMALE SMALL MOUTH BUSY MOTHER 

The female small mouth stays right in the vicinity 
of her nest constantly during the hatching period, 



I30 COIN' FISHIN' 

continually fanning to keep the sediment and debris 
from settling on the nest. The large mouth deserts 
her nest as soon as the spawn is deposited and re- 
turns when the little fellows are about ready to 
come into their own, when she jumps right onto the 
job and gives them the protection they need against 
the voracious fish that hover near the nest, ready 
to wipe out the family when opportunity offers. 

When the young fighters are a week or two old 
the roaming instinct begins to show itself and they 
desert the nest, and finally the wise old parent bass 
leads the timid ones off to the shallow waters, where 
they can protect themselves from the larger fish by 
seeking protection among the weeds and brush 
heaps. 

When they get to be a couple of inches long they 
begin to show their audacity and their voracious ap- 
petite by making successful war on the minnows in 
their vicinity. It doesn't take long to conquer their 
home waters, and to satisfy their almost insatiate 
appetite they will often attack minnows larger than 
themselves. It is this endless battle for existence, 
this survival of the fittest of the underwater citizens, 
that trains them into the plucky, fearless fighters 
when they begin to take an interest in our lures. 

The average family of a pair or basses runs from 
10,000 to 20,000 little baby bass. Of course, only 
a small proportion of these ever live through the 
skirmishes and scraps among themselves and the for- 



THE BASS FAMILY 131 

ages of the larger fish, but enough do grow up to let 
us know the black bass still exists when we put the 
lure in the right spot. 

HUSKY ONES GROW BIG 

It doesn't take long for the young bass to learn 
that their brothers make delicious food; and they 
are regular cannibals in this respect. In a govern- 
ment hatchery several years ago out of 100,000 bass 
hatched in the spring only about 30,000 were left 
when they were removed in the fall for planting. 

The majority of those that Hved through the 
cannibalistic era weighed from two to three ounces, 
although 500 pushed the pointer up to around half 
a pound. In the latter bunch we probably will find 
the future granddaddies of the water trails that 
keep the records for size well up and make a few 
lucky fishermen happy. 

With good feeding conditions it takes about two 
years for them to reach a length of ten or twelve 
inches, and from then on they take on about a pound 
of kick every year. Their growth is wholly depend- 
ent on food conditions and range of water. 

The average weight of the small mouth in this 
section runs from one and a half to three pounds, 
although now and then one with a case of " ele- 
phantis " is brought to gaff. The large mouth aver- 
ages about a pound more than the small mouth, 
sometimes being caught up to eight pounds. 



THE MUSKY GAME 

Taking into consideration weather conditions, 
habits of the fish and water facts, we can figure that 
June musky fishing follows closely, but does not quite 
equal, fall fishing in September and October, with 
July next and August the quietest month of all. 
This schedule is also arrived at through records of 
the muskellunge caught during a number of past 
seasons, which also shows that the largest of the 
tribe have been caught in September, although the 
early season muskellunge stacks up to a pretty fair 
weight. However, he seems to be more numerous 
in the early season than given to excess weight. It 
may be that the heavier, huskier old " pops " of the 
tribe do not get their fighting clothes on until a little 
later, but the younger element certainly are a fight- 
ing crowd early in the season. 

RUNS TO GOOD WEIGHT 

By this we must not get the idea the younger ones 
do not run to good size; many are caught in June 
of the fair, fine weight of from thirty to forty which, 
by the way is a muskellunge of size well worth fight- 
ing. There are many old scouts at the musky game 

132 



THE MUSKY GAME 133 

who would be tickled to death to connect up with a 
thirty-five pounder and fight it out at any old part 
of the season. 

Those that come above forty pounds are few 
and far between, and these fellows have been invari- 
ably hooked in the late season. While on this part 
of the dope sheet of the past performances of the 
musky it might be well to state that the big majority 
of these real large ones have been caught by ama- 
teurs at muskellunge fishing, which fact must be 
humiliating to the victim's family. 

After swimming around for twenty or thirty years 
avoiding all the varied lures of many fishermen, it is 
tough luck to fall for the rough work of a beginner, 
and not show speed enough to combat a wild-eyed 
fisherman who is probably suffering from " musky 
fever " during the game. 

TROLLING AND CASTING 

The biggest end of muskellunge fighting is done 
via the trolling method, although casting for his 
nibs has come stronger each year, particularly dur- 
ing the last three seasons. In casting for muskel- 
lunge using the ordinary bass casting outfit, with a 
slightly heavier line, say a twenty-pound test instead 
of the usual twelve to fifteen of the bass game, it is 
somewhat of a job to cast the heavier spoons and the 
black sucker which is generally used as a natural 
bait. To cast an eight-inch sucker is some work and 



134 COIN' FISHIN' 

hard on the rod as well as the arm and after a few 
casts the boys usually go to a shot of trolling. 

The use of extremely large lures In casting for 
musky is not as necessary as most fishermen prob- 
ably imagine; many large fish have been taken on 
the smaller lures and spoons of the bass outfit. I 
have found a good long strip of pork on a hook 
rigged up with a small Lowe-Star spoon of the ordi- 
nary bass size very effective, and this bait can be 
cast to the heart's content without putting a crimp 
in the casting arm. During last season I seldom 
used a rig larger than this for casting the pork strip 
and had good luck with it; in fact, for some three 
years I have used the small-sized spoon either single 
or tandem in muskellunge casting. Of course, for 
the troUing game the larger Lowe-Star, the No. i-o, 
has been far more attractive, caused, no doubt, by 
the fact that the fish are attracted from greater dis- 
tance with the trolled lure than the cast, as one gen- 
erally places the bait with the cast in the spots that 
look like natural musky retreats, while the trolled 
lure drags along all waters besides covering the 
likely spots. 

BASS-SIZED PLUGS BEST 

Many large plugs are being touted as musky baits 
for casting. Most of these plugs are entirely too 
large for clever handling, although they make a 



THE MUSKY GAME 135 

fairly good trolling lure. However, for my own 
part I have found the small bass plugs just about 
my dish for successful work with these rough fight- 
ers. Not only are the larger plugs armed with an 
oversupply of trebled hooks, hard to handle in the 
cast, but you will find that you lose more fish than 
with the smaller ones, as the musky gets a chance to 
tear out the hooks of the larger lures because they 
give him a leverage that the small one does not. 
With the small bass plug he is generally hooked 
with one hook and that at the side of the jaw which 
gives him no purchase on the plug to help tear out 
the hook. And hooked in that manner gives him a 
chance to put up a scrapping fight that is worth going 
miles to enjoy. 

Last season I had quite a nice run of luck with 
the small bass plugs, the Pflueger-Surprise minnow 
of the green back, white-bellied color was a wonder- 
ful worker among the musky; the darting minnowlike 
swim of this plug, without any metal spinners to 
make it do the darting movement, was just a little 
too much for the inquisitive fish. 

CASTING SOMETIMES BEST 

For the late season musky game I believe that the 
angler will find the casting stunt more effective than 
trolling. More water can be covered and at the 
same time the musky are more on the alert at this 



13© COIN' FISHIN' 

season and more active and the cast lure is more 
likely to attract his attention than the deeper-trolled 
spoon. 

The five- or six-inch minnow used with the ordi- 
nary bass spoon is also a good, attractive lure for 
the late season musky. 



FALL FLY FISHING 

The real snappy fighting fish is the fall-caught 
water native. It is a muchly discussed question as 
to what gives the game fish the additional peppy 
fight in the fall. Some say that the bass in partic- 
ular are fattening up for the winter hibernation and 
for that reason mighty active after a feed. Others 
claim that the natural feed has somewhat thinned 
out and most any kind of eats interest the fish. 
Naturally with a scarcity of favorite foods, the fish 
fights like the very dickens to retain any that he is 
lucky enough to snap his jaws upon. From my ob- 
servations and study, I have come to the conclusion 
that the cooling of the waters in the fall is really 
what makes the game fish the lively scrapper at that 
season. 

Remarkably so is the fight of the bass of the 
stream, in addition to his regular hot fight at all 
seasons, due to the fact that he has grown up in a 
running stream against whose current he has through 
necessity been compelled to fight in order to live. 
The cool fall days supply a lot of snap to the air, 
which works into the water and electrifies the old 
bronze-backed warriors into renewed vigor and dash. 

137 



138 COIN' FISHIN' 



FLY FISHING FULL OF THRILLS 

After a bass has developed his fins and tail, fight- 
ing a fast current in a stream for a couple of years, 
he is a fine antagonist and to play him on a fly rod 
in the fall will bring thrills to the fisherman that he 
never figured were part of the game. And in the 
fall fly casting for bass on the stream is right in its 
glory. The bass take the gayly-colored feathers 
with a speedy strike and like it. 

Fly casting for bass is not the extremely difficult 
art that some of the anglers would lead us to be- 
lieve. Most any fellow who has cast the plug, pork 
rind, minnow, frog or spoon can acquire the knack of 
handhng the fly rod with a little practice. Of course 
to be an expert at playing the fish requires stream 
work, but that comes naturally after a session or so 
with the snappy fighters of the moving waters. 

FISH WHERE THEY FEED 

About the best little piece of fishing insurance in 
any angle of the sport is a knowledge of the fish 
and their habits and where to find them and when. 
Casting with the fly or any other bait or lure in a 
piece of water in which a game fish has no reason 
for loafing around, never fills any creel or stringer. 
Fish the likely looking spots where your knowledge 
of fish and water conditions tells you that a live- 
wire bass would find a good feeding place. That 



FALL FLY FISHING 139 

is the kind of a location you will find worth while. 
You get a strike at your lure due to the fact that 
the game fish is on the job where he thinks he can 
locate a meal. 

In fishing the wet or sunken fly for bass, fish par- 
ticularly the pools. A productive spot is the head 
of the pool just where the faster water of the riffs 
or rapids runs into it, also the shallower pools at 
the head of the riffs and into the eddies formed 
alongside of the rapid waters. Cast in the swirl 
of water made by the boulder that sticks up out of 
the water and the edges of the logs and brush heaps, 
not overlooking the pools made by the current as it 
cuts into the bank near the bends in the stream. 

CAST DOWNSTREAM 

As the bass lie with their heads upstream, it Is 
preferable to fish downstream. At the same time 
it is easier to wade downstream than up against the 
current. The bass is far more easily frightened 
than the trout, and the wise fisherman keeps out of 
sight as much as possible, casting a long Hne on the 
streams that are wide and clear, or " fine " as the 
regular fly fisherman terms it. 

For a selection of flies that are usually good on 
most any stream, let the fly book contain Queen of 
the Waters, Grizzly King, Coachman, Lord Balti- 
more, Professor, Montreal, Yellow Sally, Silver 
Doctor, Rube Wood, Seth Green, Ferguson, Mc- 



140 COIN' FISHIN' 

Ginty, Red Ibis, White Miller, Parmanchee Belle, 
Emerson Hough and black, brown and gray hackles. 
There is enough color and combination in this outfit 
to satisfy most any bass and any condition of water 
or weather. For the bright clear days the darker 
flics are usually the best bets, while on the dark days 
and for the evening fishing the light-colored flies seem 
to make the most impression on the bass. Have the 
majority of your flies tied on the 2 or 4 size hooks 
for general fishing, with a few on 6 or 7 for use 
when the water is low and clear. For the rough 
and fast water the bright-colored flies are winners. 

USE A SPINNER WITH FLY 

The fly is often made more attractive to the game 
fish by the use of a small spinner. In selecting a 
spinner make it a point to keep it small and light, 
otherwise it will soon put a kink in the tip of your 
fly rod. The spinner of aluminum slightly smaller 
than a dime, is a good one, and it can be had in the 
dull finish of the original metal or enameled black. 
Both these colors are effective. I have found the 
black spinner particularly good for the late evening 
fishing, and on a bright day. 

Often the fly can be made a striking good lure 
with the addition of a very small strip of pork rind. 
Not the big strip of the regular bait caster, but a 
little cutting off of one of these strips, say about two 
inches long and a quarter of an inch wide at the 



FALL FLY FISHING 141 

thickest part, then tapering down to a point. The 
wiggle of this pork strip at the tail end of a fly 
often makes the game fish come through with a 
strike when nothing else seems to interest them. 



THE FALL FIGHTER 

After the frost has nipped the leaves turning them 
to the many hues of gold and yellow with the glori- 
ous red of the maples sprayed in among the dark 
green of the pines, then the game fish are at their 
best. They seem to become filled with the fighting 
spirit that puts them right on edge for a wonderful 
scrap that fills the heart of the real fisherman with 
gladness, and also this rapid scrap of the game 
fish puts the fisherman on edge to show his finest 
tackle skill to outwit the wily fight of his finny victim. 

In the fall, quite different from the hotter days 
of midsummer, the day can be bright and clear for 
good fishing. There is no need of waiting for an 
overcoat day to expect the best results in quest of 
the game ones. The bright sunny day is even bet- 
ter than the darker, cloudy one. The days of real 
Indian summer are balmy and clear with a good hot 
sun to cheer up the fisherman and make this choice 
piece of sport more enjoyable. 

ALL LURES USEFUL 

All the lures of the early season game come into 
play and can be depended upon to draw the strike 
from the game fish. The wobbling surface and 

142 



THE FALL FIGHTER 143 

semlsurface plugs are interesting baits. In the color 
end the whites with red heads are good as well as 
the green-backed ones with the white underside and 
the natural finish bait with the scale effect, first 
brought out last season, is a " darb " as a real live 
bass coaxer. 

On a bright sunny day this week I watched a fish- 
ing *' pal " play and land a ten and three-quarter- 
pound wall-eyed pike that had struck his white Wil- 
son wobbler with red flutes, and some fifteen minutes 
later a four-pound pike cracked the same old bait 
with a tremendous strike for a fish of that size. 

Fishing from the same boat, I was fortunate 
enough to land a three-pound bass and a six-pound 
pike in the same waters, and during the same period, 
with a natural finish Pflueger-Surprise minnow. 
Which merely goes to show that the fall game fish 
is not so particular as to the color of the plug as he 
is at times during the midseason fishing. 

At the same time another pal fishing the same 
waters had exceptional luck trolling with a No. 4 
Lowe-Star spoon decked out with a feathered hook 
and a trail of pork rind. The most of his fish, how- 
ever, were pike, so commonly called pickerel by the 
fishermen. The fish ran to good size, and a string 
of eleven pike averaged six pounds, the largest a 
twelve-pounder, all of which put up a fairly game 
fight when landed on a four-ounce split bamboo bait 
casting rod. 



144 COIN' FISHIN' 

All of these fish were landed during midday fish- 
ing, with the sun doing a fair to middhng hot burn, 
a day that would not stack up one, two, three as a 
good fishing day earlier in the season. Nor at this 
season is it necessary to get up with the early morn- 
ing rooster in order to feel sure of a good string 
of fish. As a usual thing, I can count on good fish- 
ing right through the entire day with no special time 
standing out as particularly strong. The fish seem 
to be on the feed all the day and about as active at 
all hours. 

BASS LURKING IN BAYS 

Many bass can be picked up by trolling across the 
mouth of the smallest bays and inlets as they seem to 
congregate there on the still hunt for minnows and 
pan fish. A fair-sized minnow, shiner, chub or 
sucker makes an excellent trolling bait and a six-foot 
gut leader should be used to bring out the good 
points of the bait. Two or three small split shot 
sinkers will take your bait down where the fish swim 
around in search of their feed, and a nice, easy speed 
of about a mile and a half an hour is fast enough 
for the boat. Many fishermen speed up the boat too 
fast in trolling and then wonder why the fish are not 
striking. Trolling too fast is taking the bait away 
from* the fish and at the same time exceeding the 
speed hmit of a swimming minnow, which your bait 
is supposed to represent to the waiting fish. 



THE FALL FIGHTER 145 

Locating the feeding places of the game fish is 
necessary in any kind of fishing at any part of the 
season, but it is just a trifle more necessary during 
the fall fishing, however. When you do locate them 
at this time you generally find that you will get more 
fish from a good feeding ground than you can at any 
other time of the year as the fish appear to travel in 
closer formation then than at any other time. 

NARROWS A FERTILE SITE 

One place in particular that usually produces well 
in the fall is the narrows, or thoroughfare connect- 
ing two lakes, not necessarily a long channel, but the 
usual small connection found between nearby lakes. 
The game fish have a habit of swimming around this 
spot to feed up on the pan fish that cross from lake 
to lake and fishing a formation of this kind generally 
brings results. Also the waters of the inlet or out- 
let of the lakes stand out as interesting fishing waters 
as much feed is found here by the larger fish. Tak- 
ing it from all angles the Indian summer stretch of 
fishing is as good as the early season sport, better 
than that of midsummer and for real pleasure on 
the water it is far ahead of any other fishing time. 
Your chances of fighting a real big one are many 
times better now than earlier in the season, as the 
old grandfathers of the game fish tribes are cer- 
tainly active and on the hunt for a big feed before 
they turn in for the winter. 



THANK THE PICKEREL 

Of the whole layout of fish that bring the smile 
to the face of the expectant angler, be he the gray- 
whiskered old " regular " or the knee-pants, bent-pin 
sport, there is no species that can be counted on to 
hit the bait more consistently than the pickerel. 
And most any kind of water is good enough for him 
to swim around in. The sluggish rivers and muddy- 
bottomed ponds are pie to him, and he grows fat and 
husky at the same time. He is quite Rooseveltian 
in his family theories and raises a big gang every 
season. For this family trait and the fact that most 
any water is home to the " pick," he will be with us 
for keeps and make much joy for the angler who is 
not too fastidious to take a shot at him once in 
awhile. 

Many fishermen cuss the pickerel and think him 
small game for a " real " angler, but a live bunch 
of pick on the bait end of a line is some sport if you 
give him a chance to travel a little and play him ac- 
cording to the rules of the game. A 15-pounder 
will make some of the crowd pant for breath if you 
play him until he comes to the boat bellyside up. 

146 



THANK THE PICKEREL 147 



SWIMS UNDER A MONIKER 

In the first place, the pickerel Is kicking around 
under the wrong name. He is really the pike and 
belongs to the same family as the musky, although 
not such a husky scrapper as his cousin. In shape 
and contour he closely resembles the musky, but is 
covered along the sides with spots or daubs a trifle 
longer than they are-wide and running the long way 
of the body. The true pickerel, his other cousin, 
very seldom grows over six pounds and he Is more 
spotted in a design that works all over the body and 
the design Is more of a continuous chain effect, while 
the spots of the pike, so commonly termed pickerel, 
are distinct daubs against a darker background gen- 
erally of greenish yellow along the backs and sides 
blending Into a whitish cream-colored tummy. The 
conditions of the water and the mineral formations 
as well as the underwater growths naturally govern 
the colorings of the different fish inhabiting those 
waters, this applying to the pickerel as well as other 
fish. 

HE STAYS IN ONE SPOT 

.Like the musky, the pickerel is a lone hunter, he is 
a moody sort of a guy and he don't like company. 
He will locate a likely looking feeding ground, and 
if of size enough to defend I't will stick around that 
place all season. He is not much of a rover, and 



148 GOIN' FISHIN' 

If you get a good strike from one of them In a cer- 
tain location and then lose him, you can row around 
the lake and come back and feel confident of finding 
him In the same waters and willing to take another 
chance at your bait. 

I know of one i8-pounder that had a hangout In 
a little cove close up to the narrows and he stuck 
around that same piece of water after being hooked 
three times, until at last he struck twice on the same 
day and joined his ancestors In the happy fishing 
waters. 

This pick was just wise enough to immediately 
slip below and snag the line on a big old pine that 
had wind-fallen out from the shore and twining 
the line among the stubby branches he secured lever- 
age enough to break the line or tear the barbed 
hook from his undershot jaw. That I know this. Is 
because he pulled the trick on me In the morning 
and fell for my pal's spoon that afternoon, and he 
still had my golden Lowe-Star spoon firmly set In his 
jaw when the pal brought him to gaff. 

Minnows, pan fish, bass, his own relatives and the 
luckless kicking frog make- up his menu and he feeds 
most any time. Of course like most game fish he 
feeds heaviest in the early morning or in the late 
evening, but he keeps right on- throughout the day. 
If your bait goes anywhere near him, that Is, close 
enough for him to get but a fleeting glance at it, he 
will come across with a strike. But you've got to 



THANK THE PICKEREL 149 

throw It to him or troll It past his hangout. He 
lies, by Instinct, In wait for the passing fish and darts 
out with a swirl, striking the unlucky pannle with 
a powerful closing of the sharp-toothed jaws that 
sometimes cuts the innocent bystander in two. Then 
he darts back to his loafing place and gulps down his 
victim, ready in an instant to go after the next one. 

BIG EATER STRIKES SMALL FLY 

Last season I landed an 11 -pound pike on a fly 
rod, after he had taken a red ibis fly decked up with 
a small spinner. The rod was a trifle heavier than 
the usual trouting rod, being used mostly for bass, 
but It was a sporty fight from the strike to the final 
kick, with the battle nearly In favor of the pickerel 
at that. After an hour and ten minutes of back and 
forth stuff both hands were badly burned by the 
line and the rod had a decided set In the second joint 
and tip. 

This pickerel probably struck that small fly and 
spinner from pure cussedness, because he was filled 
to the guards with pan fish and topped this lunch 
off with a wall-eye pike that weighed close to two 
pounds. The wall-eye had no doubt just been swal- 
lowed prior to the strike at the fly, as he was in per- 
fect condition. With a stomach stretched to the 
extreme. It surely could not have been hunger that 
caused this i i-pounder to take a crack at a small 
bass fly. , 



I50 COIN' FISHIN' 

To get real sport out of the pickerel, go after 
him with a sturdy fly-rod, and the steel one makes 
a humdinger for this game. Or troll for him with 
the fly-rod, and if you are one of the fellows who 
have never been able to get a real " kick " out of 
fishing for the pickerel, it's a bet that you will have 
your hands full playing him on a ten-foot rod and 
you will not land every one you strike at that. 




Off the edge of a tamarack swamp, here among the rushes and weeds, 
which go deep down in the water, we found good pike fishing, making 
the cast right into the rushes and reeling the lure through them. 
This is good feeding grounds for pike. 




Right along this shore and into the pockets the pike were feeding 
strong. The water runs back under the wire grass and is a good 
breeding place for minnows and pan fish, right juicy morsels for his 
pikeship. Cast close into the edge and reel medium slow. 



" BUSTING " THE RULES 

There are a lot of fellows who go after the festive 
game fish who are overlooking a little fishing that 
usually brings good returns to the stringer, and that 
is fishing when it rains. As soon as J. Pluvlus mixes 
up the cans and accidentally kicks over a few, spill- 
ing the rain down in big gobs, most of the boys bend 
the back rowing to shore, to loaf under a jack pine 
until things clear up. That's where they make a 
big mistake. I have landed some of the finest fish 
an angler could wish for when the rain was beating 
a rippling tattoo on the water's surface. 

A few weeks ago while fishing in northern Wis- 
consin, a pal and I held an hour's session with the fish 
families of a small lake during one of the heaviest 
rains it has ever been my luck to be in. There was 
a strong southeast wind blowing quite a gale and the 
rain hit the surface with great force, the water spray- 
ing and blowing into the face so heavily that it was 
impossible to talk. At times I thought the old scow 
in which we were fishing would not make shore as she 
was taking water from below and above, but we 
had as nice a dish of big pike fishing as comes to the 
luck of a fisherman. 

151 



152 COIN' FISHIN' 



BIG FELLOWS OUT IN RAIN 

It was some sport landing those pike without the 
help of a gaff or landing net, as we had hiked over 
to the lake more on an exploring expedition to look 
the water over than to fish. We landed six pike 
running from six to nine pounds during the heaviest 
part of the rain, and on nearly any old plug that 
we cast to them. The rain evidently chopped up 
the surface to such an extent that the pike took any 
lure in any color or shape. 

The seventh pike landed was a twelve-pounder, 
and he fought with savage runs each time we brought 
him to the boat, and then doing quite a swim around 
the half-filled boat after we landed him in. Not 
being prepared for fishing, having no stringer along, 
we had tied the other fish on a tripled piece of line, 
trolling it alongside the boat. 

Here we were slapped in the face with a darned 
good lesson on preparedness. A few moments after 
trying the big fellow on the improvised stringer, I 
glanced back at the fish and lamped them slowly 
moving away from the boat. Yelling the bad news 
to the pal, he made a frantic grab down into the 
water and salvaged three of the fish still remaining 
on the stringer, the big one being the first to make 
a get-away. 

He had simply slashed a couple of times across 
the line with his half-inch teeth and cut it. Which 



" BUSTING " THE RULES 153 

only goes to show us that when you go a-fishing take 
the necessary tools of the trade along if you expect 
to bring back the bacon. A stringer seems a very 
small part of the kit, but to be without one is about 
the unhandiest thing on the water when you start 
landing the underwater battlers, 

" BUSTS " SOME OF THE RULES 

Another one of the rules of the game was shat- 
tered the same afternoon. We all know that quiet 
and stealth on the water is good for fishing, we 
should use as much care as possible when casting in 
the boat and not make any more noise than abso- 
lutely necessary, so that the fish will not become 
frightened and make haste to other waters. 

Returning to the head lake from our rainy- 
weather piking expedition, four of us passed a 
pleasant hour swimming around a big rock jutting out 
of the water at the far end of the lake. The water 
was fairly well kicked up during that time, and a 
fellow would think that the game fish had hurried 
off to the other end of the lake during the disturb- 
ance. 

One of the boys picked up a rod, made a cast 
within ten feet of one of the other fellows swim- 
ming in the water and was some surprised when a 
three and a half pound bass hit the bait with a crack 
and started away with it. According to all the 
rules of war, the bass should have been in their 



154 COIN' FISHIN' 

dugouts, but in the fishing game you never can tell 
when all the rules of the deck will be shot to pieces 
by the frisky game ones themselves. 

At times you must go right into the weed beds to 
get the bass, as they often swim around in there for 
a dessert of fat little minnows after the weather 
heats up and the httle fellows have kicked into the 
weed to feed off the minute animal matter and the 
smaller winged bugs, gnats and water moths. 

On this same trip we had found fishing a trifle 
slow along the edges of the weeds and in the open 
pockets, the stringers showing up fairly lean. I 
needed a few action snapshots of casting the close-in 
waters and the pal was drifting in slowly with the 
canoe to the right position. He was not thinking 
of the fishing game other than to get where he could 
do the best in front of the camera; his bait, a frog, 
was trailing along slowly about eight feet behind 
the canoe and right through the weeds. 

SUDDEN, UNEXPECTED STRIKE, EXCITING 

When you get a strike just about the time you are 
least expecting it, you are usually " flustrated " for 
a second or so, and " flustrated " is a poor word to 
express the condition of the pal when a big pike 
took the frog and started south with it at a fast 
speed. The pal gave him the barb and his pikeship 
came to rather suddenly and instead of a few still 
pictures of bait-casting into the weeds, I had a roll 



" BUSTING " THE RULES 155 

of as lively action pictures of an excited angler fight- 
ing and landing a seven-pound pike, while keeping 
his balance in a cranky canoe, as you will meet up 
with in many days' fishing. 

This was a tip we needed and we played the 
weeds, right into them with the weedless hooks, 
the rest of the trip to good advantage. 



SKITTERING FOR PICKEREL 

Although the pike and pickerel can generally be 
counted on for a strike all through the season and 
at most any time In the day, with, of course, a trifling 
slowup during the hotter days of August, when the 
teeth and gums are In bad shape, one Is far more 
likely to be successful In landing a good string of 
picks, or one or two real big ones In the fall than 
any other variety of game fish. Right here, per- 
haps, the bass or trout fisherman will oar In with 
the remark that the pick Is not a game fish, anyway 
— a question that Is always open to debate — and 
who wants to fish for the " snake," anyway? 

For the fellow who Is satisfied to hook a few picks 
now and then, and especially when the other game 
fish are quiet or out of season, let me dish up the 
dope that the pickerel caught on the right kind of 
tackle puts up a fair to middlin' fight, and it Is not 
every one of them that Is landed at that. This goes 
for the titled expert or the tyro at the sport of 
tricking the game ones into landing distance. The 
pick taken from the cooler spring-fed lakes fights 
with more speed than the one taken from the more 
sluggish waters of the mud and marley bottom lakes, 

IS6 



SKITTERING FOR PICKEREL 157 

while the pick from the running streams is a rattling 
good fighter and needs no excuses to any angler for 
the sport he affords. 

NOW IS PICKEREL TIME 

November is a good month to try out the pick. 
He is just as much on the hunt for the chiib and frog 
or anything else in the feed line as in the summer. 
He is a tireless feeder, a sleepless prowler after the 
goodies of the waters and he feeds right along after 
the ice covers the surface. Seems that feeding 
is his sole desire. He even takes the bait through 
the ice and likes it served cold. This is more than 
you can say of some of the gamer fish, and we thank 
him for his habit. 

If you have ever had the joy of passing a vaca- 
tion on a farm in the youthful days agone, you 
probably " went a'fishin' " with one of the natives, 
and although his knowledge of the true sport of 
angling was no doubt fairly limited, it is a safe bet 
that he brought home the bacon. 

And it is also probable that he used one of those 
long cane poles, somewhere around fifteen feet over 
all, with a length of line about as long as the pole 
tied onto the small end. In the way of hooks, a 
few of those old " ten for a penny " suited his fancy, 
and a minnow or frog, with a strong preference for 
the frog as a favorite bait. He certainly could 
toss that bait out in the water and work it around 



158 COIN' FISHIN' 

the boat in a way that made the pickerel and bass 
step right up and join the crowd. That little 
method of interesting the fish is called skittering, 
and during the fall has been productive of many fine 
fish. 

SKITTERING TACKLE SIMPLE 

Bringing the skittering game a little more up-to- 
date in the matter of tackle we can select one of 
those jointed cane poles of, say, 15 feet, which is 
easy to pack on the train, or a long steel still-fishing 
rod of 12 to 14 feet. The ordinary bait-casting 
reel can be used in order to give more sport in land- 
ing and playing the fish, although the natives at the 
skittering game do not use a reel. The use of a 
three or six-foot gut leader looped onto the No. 
2-0 Sproat hook saves the line from being torn by 
the sharp double-edged teeth of the pickerel. 

With the above outfit you can skitter to your 
heart's content, with an even chance of getting the 
fish to take a look at your bait, which can either be 
pork rind or chunk, minnow, frog or perch belly 
topped off with about a No. 3 Lowe-Star spoon. 
And it might be well to tack on a little color to make 
things interesting, either a short end of red yarn 
or a patch of red wool, as the pickerel seems to be 
a trifle susceptible to a dash of red in his menu. 

Skittering is not a difficult thing to learn, although 
there is quite a knack to pulling the bait through 



SKITTERING FOR PICKEREL 159 

the water. However, there Is no thumbing of the 
reel on the toss out of the bait. As a general thing 
the game is played from a boat, although I have 
often found that by skittering a bait off along the 
edges of the marsh grass, weeds and pickerel grass 
along the shores or in the narrows, that the fish will 
strike it with a smash as they seem to figure it out 
that a piece of feed is getting away from them and 
they must take it quick or lose out in the deal. 

EASY TO ACQUIRE SKILL 

Let your boat drift along in what looks like good 
pickerel water and raise your rod in a vertrcal posi- 
tion with just about a rod length of line off the 
reel, then let the bait swing out to its entire length, 
without casting, and lower the tip of the rod to about 
45 degrees. Allow the bait to sink slightly below 
the surface; then jerk it along with short, steady 
pulls, and as a rule working the bait entirely around 
the boat before another toss is made. Jerking the 
bait along in short, steady pulls seems a remark- 
ably easy thing to do, but after you get a little prac- 
tice you will realize that some skill helps make the 
bait move in a natural way through the water. 

When the fish takes the bait give him a few mo- 
ments to hold it before striking, otherwise you will 
probably tear it away from him without setting 
the hook. I find that a spoon hook with a trail 
hook snelled on is about the best thing in the hook 



i6o COIN' FISHIN' 

line for this style of fishing, as you always save the 
short strikes with the trailer. After setting the 
hook give him a run of line, because the first thing 
the hooked pickerel thinks of doing is to make a long 
run away from the hook, and if you have, by luck, 
connected up with a big pickerel, landing him on 
the long bending rod will be quite a piece of sport, 
and something in the fishing game that no fellow 
need feel ashamed of doing. 



CARE OF THE FLY TACKLE 

Naturally, the careful angler looks well after his 
tackle at all times in order to keep it in the best of 
shape so that every little part of it will stand up 
when the time comes to land the big one he is always 
looking for. But now, with the high prices on 
tackle, as well as everything else, it is a matter of 
practical economy. 

Even at that the true follower of the stream and 
lake takes much pride in the condition of his outfit 
and nurses it along like a pet. The right kind of 
attention to a line will make it last quite a little 
longer than you would suspect. Take as an ex- 
ample the fly-casting line, which is either of the 
enarn,eled variety or the softer vacuum-finished one 
that tops the highest price in this end of the line 
outfit. To leave the enameled line on the fly reel, 
closely wound, all winter, will give it a series of 
curves that will make it practically impossible to 
cast and lay a straight line on the water the follow- 
ing season. 

GIVE THE LINE A THOUGHT 

It is good practice while fishing via the fly method 
to unwind the enameled line each day and wipe it 
oH with a cloth, to keep it dry, and then hang it 

i6i 



i62 COIN* FISHIN' 

up on a peg at camp or lay it loosely on a flat sur- 
face until needed the next day. With the vacuum- 
dressed line it is necessary to keep it in first-class 
shape by greasing it once in awhile with deer fat, 
and say, boy, there is an awful lot of satisfaction in 
casting a well-greased vacuum line. This line is 
soft and makes a wonderfully smooth cast and lies 
fine on the water, the grease making a floater out 
of it. 

At the end of the season the enameled line should 
be taken off the reel, coiled in a loose coil about 
the same size that you find it on the card when pur- 
chased, and then, to keep it right, just slip it into 
a glass mason jar and screw on the top. This 
keeps the little old moths away, puts it in an air- 
tight bed for the winter and at an even temperature, 
which is good for any enameled line. 

TREAT VACUUM LINE WELL 

For the vacuum-dressed line, give it a good wipe- 
off, run it through your grease pad, wipe off the sur- 
plus grease, or let it on, as you have a mind to, and 
curl the line into a large, loose loop, then hang it 
way up out of danger in the coolest closet you have. 
To make a real dinger of a hanger just drive a nail 
in the molding, slip an ordinary spool over the nail 
and the line over the spool. This keeps the line 
away from the metal nail and does not make the 
top curve of the line too sharp. 



CARE OF THE FLY TACKLE 163 

You can also secure a small hoop with the outer 
side bored out which is made especially for keeping 
lines right during the layoff. When a fellow figures 
that a good line now costs from $5 to $9 and is 
scarce at that, it behooves him to give it a little care. 

Of all the rods the fly rod calls for more care 
than any other and it should have good care any- 
way. It is a delicate tool, and when one has a fly 
rod that just suits his cast, in weight and action, 
it should be fondled and treated like the good pal 
it is. Usually a fellow gets so used to the handUng 
of a favorite fly rod that to replace it would take 
much time and trouble, not to mention the money 
outlay. Many of the boys have rods that could not 
now be replaced at double the money and with the 
growing scarcity of tackle, getting just what one 
wants in the rod line is a matter of some effort. 

While on the subject of rods, here is a quiet tip 
for the fellow who intends to make a rod during 
the winter — get your fixings now. Go on a quiet 
scout for ferules, guides, tips, buttgrip and wood. 
It isn't a bad idea to look over some of the cheaper 
rods, made a year or so back, and buy one up at a 
bargain, using the metal parts on the rod you make. 

OVERHAUL AND VARNISH THE ROD 

When the fly-fishing season is closed for the season 
it is a good plan to give the rod an overhauling be- 
fore putting it away for the winter. I generally 



i64 COIN' FISHIN' 

take the rod and hang it up for a few weeks, and 
then give it a good look over, replacing all the loose 
silk windings. Give it one coat of varnish for luck, 
then at the opening of the following season give 
it a couple of more coats of varnish, as it is essen- 
tially necessary in order to keep a rod right to keep 
it varnished. 

At the end of the season it is well to take the tips 
and second joint and hang them up by the lightest 
end with a weight on the other end. Leave them 
this way for a few weeks and any set or kink will 
be removed. Keep the rod during the winter in a 
cool, dry place. I have often jointed my rods and 
hung them from the tip by a small brad driven in the 
molding in the closet. If you let them remain in the 
case, do not tie the case strings tight nor stand 
them in the corner, but let the case strings loose so 
there will be no pressure on the rod joints, and hang 
the case up on a hook by the top strings, allowing 
the heavier ends of each joint to be on the bottom. 

Flies, those great little coaxers of the moth tribe, 
when carelessly put away, can be protected by placing 
them in a mason jar. Slip in a few moth balls for 
company, and be sure and have the rubber ring on 
the jar before you screw on the lid as a last pro- 
tection against the moth, which can get into places 
far smaller than you anticipate. And a regular 
supply of flies are too expensive for moth feed. 

The fly-casting reel is not as intricate as the bait- 



CARE OF THE FLY TACKLE 165 

casting tool and requires less care. About all you 
need to do is to take it apart, clean out the sand 
and caked oil, give it a bath in kerosene, wipe it dry 
and re-oil, then slip it back into Its case, with the 
knowledge that it will show up bright and early for 
the openers in the spring, when you take your next 
cast at the squaretails. 



KEEPIN' UP THE SUPPLY 

" In twenty years of guiding, to-day has been the 
least enjoyable that I have ever put in on the Black 
Lake String," mused Earny Wendt, guide ex- 
traordinary, as he kicked a log close up on the fire 
in the main cabin where we were burning a bit of the 
weed in our old cobs. " And here's the reason, old- 
timer," continued Earny, " the chap I had out today 
never had the right education in the fishing game; 
he sure has started dead wrong. Seemed to me the 
whole thing that worried him was getting the limit. 
He got them, of course, but he netted a bunch of 
little fellers that just skinned past the legal size 
that should be back in the water attending the third- 
grade bass school. Now the Doc went over the 
same water the day before and brought in five bass 
that tipped the scales just short of fifteen pounds, 
and he threw nine back into the water to grow up. 
There's a lot of missionary work to be done with 
the fellows just starting into the great game, and 
the one big thought in that work is to impress 'em 
with the fact that they ought to throw the ' little 
fellers ' back. I do hate the sight of a tape-line 

fisherman." 

i66 



KEEPIN' UP THE SUPPLY 167 

There sure is a heap o' truth and reason to that 
remark of my old-time guide and friend of the water 
trails, " throw back the Httle fellers." Every fisher- 
man toasting his shins around this camp-fire should 
make it a point to see that the fellows new at the 
game get the right start and pass along the info to 
be moderate in their demands from Nature's store- 
house and to take only the fish they need and not to 
stretch the poor little tail-kickers in an effort to 
make 'em meet the legal requirements for size. A 
powerful lot of those same little bass will grow up 
into sure-fire old he-wops with a kick in their tails 
that will send the joy jumps right up the backbone 
of some fisherman some day. And, ghee whiz ! 
brother — anyone of us might be that lucky guy 
when the grown-up " little feller " makes the grand 
snappy fight that arches the rod and switches the 
line off the reel with a whipping song no other instru- 
ment can play. A song that makes the red blood 
surge through the veins and keys us up to use our 
finest tackle skill in matching trick for trick the 
rapid-fire action of the bronze-backed warrior of the 
watery recesses. 

And not only is it necessary to throw back the lit- 
tle fellers, but it is also a fundamental principle 
that you cannot continue taking away a part of any- 
thing without reducing the original quantity. This 
goes in the fishing game just as strong as anything 
else, and the fishermen of every community should 



i68 COIN' FISHIN' 

get together and restock their home waters. Nearly 
every state is willing to furnish fry and fingerlings 
for the stocking of state waters through their fish 
and game departments, and it is only necessary to 
get in touch with these departments to find out just 
what you can get in the way of stocking material for 
your waters. The main thing is that the boys have 
been having fairly good fishing heretofore and have 
failed to figure that the taking-away stunt, without 
putting anything back, cannot continue forever — 
without cutting down the supply. Two or three 
good live wires can get together and organize the 
" brothers of the angle " in most any locality, ap- 
point committees and get the stocking fry that will 
put an upkick in the fishing game in their local waters 
that will keep getting better right along as the re- 
stocking goes on each year. 

The great herds of buffalo have passed on, the 
sky is no longer darkened by the flight of the wild 
pigeons. But, brother, the bass, trout, pike, musky 
and wall-eye are still with us, for which we are thank- 
ful. Let us keep 'em with us, and every last one 
of us do our part to help them multiply and grow 
up so that our days on the waters may be long and 
our quest of the real game fins full o' joy. 



WHAT FOOLS 'EM 

Old-timer, when you sort over your collection of 
feathery fancies in the fly end of the game do you 
really think the keen-sighted trout or the wary bass 
are fooled into believing these same old flies are 
imitations of the insects they feed on regularly along 
their home streams? 

Take the trout as an example as to keenness of 
sight. As soon as the fisherman comes into sight 
along a quiet pool where the trout are feeding these 
game fins make a quick get-away for the darkened 
haunt, under log, washed-out bank or rock, but a 
dog can lope down to the water, lap up a drink, 
kick around a bit and the trout keep right on feeding. 
If their sight is such that they can quickly determine 
between friend and foe, it's a hundred to one shot 
that they don't take the feathers, as usually tied, for 
any particular line of feed they have been used to, 
but probably as a bit of feed that happened to light 
in their waters. 

THE COACHMAN A WONDER 

As an example take the Coachman fly, probably 
the most used and most generally successful of all 
trout flies. The Coachman is an imitation of no 

169 



I70 COIN' FISHIN' 

particular insect that ever hit the water's surface, 
yet it can be counted on, when flies of all color and 
variety have been passed up by the brown, rainbow 
or brook trout. The Coachman was originally 
doped up from the imagination of one Tom Bos- 
worth, royal coachman for King George IV, Wil- 
ham IV and Queen Victoria, and he never tried to 
make anything like any living insect when he gath- 
ered the combination together. This little old 
white-winged, green-bodied, bewhiskered hook looks 
hke feed to the trout, but not like his regular stuff, 
and he probably has a f.ancy to take a shot at it to 
see how sweet the darned thing tastes anyway. 

V^hich only brings us to the line of thought, old 
scout, that perhaps a big lot of this stream-side dope 
on matching the flies you use with the insects that are 
dropping onto the water, in order to interest the 
trout, is a piece of unnecessary work. And are you 
really working the game on the right angle or slip- 
ping a trifle out of your course when you cut the 
corners too fine? Perhaps the answer to some of 
the empty creels may be in the fact that in trying to 
copy the natural insect life along the stream, the 
fisherman has pulled a line of raw imitations that 
failed to interest the trout, let alone fool them, and 
if he had used a few of the gaudier and different col- 
ored feathers the striking difference and strangeness 
might have interested many game fins that were too 
keen sighted to fall for the imitations, but mighty 



WHAT FOOLS 'EM 171 

anxious to fill the feed-bag with a new variety of 
juicy feathers. 

JIM FEEDS 'em beans 

Which brings us to Jim Boyd, a well-known 
Chicago fisherman, and a bit of experience he had 
with the speckled beauties up on the Pike river in 
northern Wisconsin. Jim had wandered down to 
the Pike for a little evening fishing, and on the way 
lost his fly book, but being a versatile chap, he tried 
'em out on a dish they had probably never seen before. 
This bait that filled his creel with some fair-sized 
beauties was nothing more or less than a couple of 
baked beans. Jim hooked on one of Heinz' fifty- 
seven, shot a cast out into the pool, and the way 
those trout took to beans for a diet sure was worth 
two bits to see. Just to see how far they would 
go on the eats, Jim's brother, Bill, who is some fisher- 
man on his own hook, scraped a few fried potatoes, 
browned to a turn, out of the spider and caught 
them on this improvised brown hackle and as an 
especial treat he caught a few on a strip of summer 
sausage. Pll say that there was enough variety 
and color to this menu to please any trout, and at 
the same time it was something they had never seen 
before in all their trout days, nor did it resemble 
any of their regular rations. They fell for some- 
thing different, but James never fooled 'em for a 
minute that it was their regular evening meal. 



172 COIN' FISHIN' 

THE HAIR FLY GETS 'EM 

Since the hair fly has been used more on the waters 
this season it has shown up like " four of a kind " 
in bringing the game fins to net. Emerson Hough, 
who would rather fish than work, has doped up the 
Emerson Hough Bucktail fly, that certainly does not 
look like any fly at all, but for coaxing the tail kick- 
ers into striking, it goes some. The bucktail hairs 
of this fly tail out behind the hook, and when the fly 
moves in the water these little old hairs have a 
wonderfully wiggling move that is enticing to the 
trout. Of course what they really look like to the 
fish is another question, but each hair seems to have 
a nervous wiggle of its own, and the combination of 
these hairs wiggling in the water seems to be just 
a bit more than the cautious trout can stand for, so 
he takes a wallop at this new variety, probably be- 
cause of the new interest awakened by the invasion 
of this strange piece of feed — he goes for it be- 
fore it gets away, as it were. 

A FLY WITH A RECORD 

The late Ed. Wyman, one of the classiest fly cast- 
ers that ever tossed a feathery fancy to the trout 
and bass outfit, worked up the hair fly tying stunt to 
an art and his creations with the various hairs and 
hairs in conjunction with feathers are wonderful fish 
getters. I know of one of these flies that surely 



WHAT FOOLS 'EM 173 

never fooled a wily bass Into believing It was an Imi- 
tation of a natural Missouri insect, that took fifty 
bass from the St. Francis river in Missouri last No- 
vember and this same fly took 22 bass from the 
Varner river in the same state in December, and is 
still in good shape for more of them. Here is a 
fly, made of hair with a couple of feathers tailing 
out behind, that simply makes the bass crazy to get 
at it, yet it looks like nothing that ever flew along 
the Missouri streams. Is that foolin' 'em or feed- 
ing them something that looks good to their eye? 
You can name it either way, but the fact remains 
that it gets the fish, which is a pleasant thought to 
the fellow who goes fishin'. 



TROUT VS. SMALL MOUTH BASS 

There is one little subject in the fishing game that 
will bring an argument quicker than any other angle 
of the sport, and that is the relative gameness of 
the bronzed-backed old warrior, the small-mouth 
bass and the fast-fighting trout family. To start a 
real family row, one of those sociable friendly af- 
fairs, one needs to but open up on either side of the 
question among a bunch of the boys who answer 
the lure of lake and stream. Things immediately 
perk up and the gang divides into two groups with 
their shootin' irons well to the front. And by their 
favorite fighting game fish each will swear by all 
the gods of the outdoors — for, do they not tingle 
with joy at memories of water battles of the past in 
which the game fin they champion did his keenest 
to stay sovereign of his home waters? 

During the past year or so many letters have come 
in with the query, " Which do you consider the 
gamer, the bass or the trout?" and right this day 
two letters ambled in from the same city with the 
same old stuff. Probably the writers, " K. S. N." 
and " F. D.," have had an argument on this endless 
dispute and, if so, here goes for my personal opinion, 

174 



TROUT VS. SMALL MOUTH BASS 175 

based on my own experiences with the game fins. 
Polish up your pens, boys. 

The small-mouth bass caught with the flyrod in 
a running stream I consider puts up the gamest fight 
of the water warriors. Following the game old 
bronze-backer close, indeed, very close, comes the 
rainbow trout, then the brown trout, and, finally, the 
brook trout. The small-mouth puts up a more scien- 
tific fight than the trout, and he makes use of more 
tricks in his effort to slip the hook. He is a greater 
leaper than any of the trout, which makes him a 
more spectacular fighter. I have had a hooked 
small-mouth bass leap eight times; in fact, almost 
every small-mouth I have hooked has leaped at least 
once. I have had a rainbow trout leap five times, 
and the brown trout leap four times, while the great- 
est number of jumps to the credit of the speckled 
beauty is two times, and that to a little ten-incher. 
The general get-away effort of the speckled trout 
is down and along, back and forth in deeper water, 
without much effort to clear the surface. It is in 
the rare cases that the speckled trout makes the up-in- 
the-air leap. 

For a rollicking good fight with a bunch of acro- 
batics thrown in, give me the small-mouth bass, the 
stream-raised youngster about two to three pounds 
and via the light fly-rod route. He has the spots 
licked off the daintier speckled trout, the rough- 
neck brown trout, and just slips in ahead of the fast- 



176 COIN' FISHIN' 

fighting rainbow trout. The bass is a lowly cuss, 
not at all in a class with the trouts for looks and 
shape, but for dogged courage and pugnacity I hand 
him the Cross of the Water Trails with six palms. 

However, to be perfectly square with the trout 
family, and the boys around this campfire who are 
for 'em first, last, and all the time, I think that the 
trouts are more persistent in attack than the small- 
mouth. I have known the small-mouth to strike a 
fly the second time, while I recall a number of times 
when the trout have repeatedly made a fierce strike 
at the fly, attacking as often as six or eight times 
before being hooked, while usually one prick of the 
hook sends the bass off to other waters. 

Taking as a basis of judging fighting qualities and 
gaminess of the game fish, the resistance, leaping in 
the air and wily efforts to free themselves from the 
stinging barbed hook, I place the blue ribbon on 
the fevered brow of the stream-raised small-mouth 
bass — for his great little jump on the slack line, 
his runs across the stream, doubling his back against 
the current to make it fight for him, his wonderful 
underwater knowledge of the many snags in his 
home waters and the many times he gets away 
through some little trick that he throws just when 
you least expect it. 



FISHING WEATHER 

Probably way back when Adam sneaked away 
from his better half and hied himself down to the 
river in the Garden of Eden, with a can of worms 
hid behind his back, he looked up at the sky for 
fishin' signs, sniffed the air like a houn' dog and wet 
his finger holding it up in the air to get the direction 
of the wind just to see whether everything was right 
for fishing. Since that time a big number of his 
descendants have each season pulled the same stunts 
hoping to get the fish when they were in the right 
humor with the right kind of weather to help the 
game along. 

The wind from the east has been blamed for more 
slim stringers than any other weather condition and 
there is something to this, by the way, that is on 
some lakes although it does not apply to all waters. 
In an east wind it is well to fish off the lee shore while 
on some lakes that lie without much broad eastern 
exposure the east wind does not affect the fishing 
conditions hardly at all. The weather man will tell 
you that there is usually a lower barometric pressure 
during an east wind than at any other time; that the 
atmosphere Is heavy during that period. This has 
been given as a reason for the fish seeming to be 

177 



178 COIN' FISHIN' 

off the strike during an east wind, yet I would rather 
fish with an east wind ruffling up the water than with 
no break to the surface at all. 

Fishing on some lakes will fall off with a wind 
from another direction, caused mostly by the location 
of the lake and the exposed shore which gives the 
wind from that particular direction a sweep over 
the lake which disturbs the feeding grounds and 
makes the fish seek other feeding places or the deep 
water for protection, and because the fish cannot be 
located at the same old places, the local anglers say 
that particular wind puts them off their feed on those 
waters, while if the fisherman would keep at the 
game and locate the places the fish have wandered to 
he would find them just as eager as before to take a 
smash at his lure. 

I would rather have a light wind breaking the 
water in small waves anytime than fish when the 
water is perfectly calm and quiet. When the surface 
is broken a trifle with just enough wind to keep your 
boat moving along slowly, then the fishing is usually 
at its best. This applies particularly to casting for 
bass, and for muskellunge let me have quite a nice 
dash to the water with a few waves breaking here 
and there, for that is the time the old rough fighter 
likes to swim around feeding on the other fish which 
have a hard time keeping their sea legs and not much 
time to look out for the savage old barbarian who 
is out hunting them. 



FISHING WEATHER 179 

The bright sunny day is about the poorest fishing 
day and this is particularly so in July and August 
when the hot rays of the sun make the shore waters 
uncomfortable and the fish go down in the holes for 
a cooling off. When the day is cloudy, however, 
one can fish right along and have far more chances 
of finding the fish at home in their usual haunts than 
when the sun is burning through one's shirt. In the 
early and late season, however, the game fish are 
just as actively on the feed when the sun is out as 
any other time, and in fact the warmth of the sun 
brings them to the shallows at that period. They 
probably realize at the tail end of the season that 
the warm weather is soon going to fade away and 
they like to sport around and feed in its warm rays 
that penetrate into the shallow water, and enjoy 
life a trifle before the ice sends them way down below 
for the winter. 

Early in the season it takes a few warm days to 
put the fish in a humor to strike, and from that time 
on most any kind of a day is fairly good until the 
warm summer sets in. Even at that, after the first 
few weeks of the season, after it has opened up 
right, you will find that the early morning and late 
afternoon fishing is the best regardless of the condi- 
tion of the weather. 

When the surface of the water is broken by a light 
wind you will find that the fish do not see quite as 
clearly or quickly as when the water is still and for 



i8o COIN' FISHIN' 

that reason the lighter colored lures are the best, 
and the pork rind or natural bait will be more effec- 
tive if a spoon or spinner is used. On the dark 
cloudy days the white artificial is very effective and 
the nickel or silver spoons better than those of the 
duller copper or brass. 

Just because it happens to rain is no reason why 
the fisherman should row to shore and hunt up a cozy 
place under a protecting tree. Slip on a rain cape 
and keep on a-fishing, for many of the biggest ones 
have come right up into the boat when J. Pluvius was 
busy tipping over the rain cans. And after the 
rain, oh boy! That's when fishing is just right off 
the pan. Then is the time to play the shore line 
with the fly, either the fly of the fly-caster or the 
weighted bass fly of the bait-caster, and for the 
simple reason that many of the winged insects have 
been beaten down on the shoreward surface and 
the bass know this from former rains. This brings 
them in to feed on these choice titbits and the fel- 
low who drifts along casting in towards the shore 
line has a mighty fine chance of bringing up his per- 
centage in the fishing game. * 

Looking the whole weather dope over we find 
that a fellow can generally get fish at any time of 
the day and under any weather conditions, but he 
must fish according to where the fish are at certain 
times during the day and kind of weather. On the 



FISHING WEATHER i8i 

hot day during the mid-day period it would be fool- 
ish to waste time casting the plug or artificials but 
if taking a chance at still fishing the live bait down 
deep in the holes would get them. 



COLORS OF ARTIFICIALS 

What color makes the bass fighting mad and the 
musky turn in a savage swirl to strike with a smash- 
ing snap of his sharp-toothed jaws? As a usual 
thing, taking into consideration lake and stream 
waters in general and averaging the proposition 
from many reports, we find the white artificial with 
a little red the leading combination that makes the 
game fish come through with the fighting strike. 
This is particularly so in the early season when the 
bass are in the shallows and later it is best used on 
the day that is cloudy and overcast, while at the end 
of the season when the fish are again feeding in the 
shallows it works well any time in the day. 

The next best bet in the color line from past ex- 
perience of a big bunch of anglers seems to be the 
green and white combination, usually a crackled 
green back and a white belly. This combination, 
somewhat on the froggish hue, is very good as a 
lure for bass and the larger fellows in the pike and 
muskellunge families. And as an underwater lure 
for the deep feeding wall-eye pike this color goes 
second to none as a sure enough wall-eye enticer; 
while right in among the weeds and lily pads for the 

182 







|^Kr~- *"^ ~ 




^ 


'W^ 




n 


9H 




ppl 


^r* 


^^^^^^^^1 


H 


n 




i 


l^fii 




1 



Casting our fly so that it dropped on the water above this rock 
brought a nice strike as the fly floated down in the little swirl o' 
water below and a ten-inch rainbow trout landed in the creel. In 
that little nook he laid waiting for everything that floated into 
sight. 










In the pool below this small falling water we landed some nice trout, 
letting the fly float from the rougher water into the swirls of the 
pool. The same use of the floating bass bug would be made in 
bass waters. 



i?jsr^^ 



COLORS OF ARTIFICIALS 183 

bass or pike it often gets the strike when other 
colors fail. 

The consensus of opinion as to the next color 
places the laurels on the rainbow effect and the perch 
imitation. These colors shine on the bright sun- 
shiny day particularly, as the glaring flash of the 
all-white lure is too much for the fish on a day of 
this kind and the darker color of the rainbow and 
perch lures appears more natural. The use of these 
colors should not be confined to the bright day, as 
many game fish will be taken at times in any kind of 
weather. 

But even with all this dope, some condition of 
water or weather, or perhaps simply an epidemic of 
indigestion or liver trouble on the part of the fish 
in a certain lake may throw this schedule of colors 
into the ashheap and reverse English must be put on 
the list, starting the successful color or combination 
from the rear end and winding up with the white and 
red. 

Take, as an example, a lake I fished last season the 
first two weeks in July. At this time the only color 
that seemed to be of any value was the white, with 
a dash of red. The fish simply turned up their 
noses at all the other colors, but they certainly did 
go for the white surface plug. There were just two 
white lures among the three of us fishing this lake, 
and you can gamble a few beans that they were fairly 
popular; in fact, it was a case of grab for them all the 



i84 COIN' FISHIN' 

time. And the way these plugs were mauled by the 
big fighters, both bass and great northern pike, of 
this lake soon cleaned the enamel off. 

On going up to this lake this season with the same 
pals, we all stocked up with a variety of whites in all 
shapes and sizes. The trip was made the second 
week this season, and great were the expectations 
of wonderful catches with these wobbling white af- 
fairs. We cast that lake to a finish for two days and 
not a strike on the whites — not ever a ripple except 
those made by the lure as it hit the surface. I hap- 
pened to have a varied assortment of other lures 
along and put on one finished with the new scale fin- 
ish in imitation of the chub. Casting this bait into 
water that had been whipped almost to a foam, fig- 
uratively speakin', with the white lures, I drew a 
strike on the first cast, and of all the colors cast on 
that lake in ten days the scale finish was the only one 
that had sufficient fish to its credit to keep track of. 
Over 95 per cent of the fish were taken with the nat- 
ural scale finish; the balance with the other darker 
lures. 

The only explanation that I can make for this is 
the fact that the fish were more on the feed at this 
lake in June of this season and that they struck the 
lures because they were after a feed, while prob- 
ably a little later in July the game fish would be strik- 
ing more through the fighting instinct, at which time 
the white and red would make them fighting mad 



COLORS OF ARTIFICIALS 185 

and scrappy. It is interesting to note also that the 
pike took to the live frog with a wallop and were 
eager to strike at it, but the frog-colored lures never 
got a peep out of them. 

I have a letter from Watts Richmond, a well- 
known angler who has wet his line many times from 
coast to coast, that was written from Butternut Lake 
at Three Lakes, Wis. (waters that are famous for 
their small-mouth bass), and Watts passes out the 
information that he has had remarkable luck with 
the yellow surface lure with paddle spinners. This 
lure is a blunt-shaped minnow with paddle spinners 
that revolve with the head, and it rides the surface 
at all times, throwing up quite a riffle to both sides 
as it is reeled in. The body color of the lure is a 
light yellow — sort of a canary color — and it is 
spotted all over with gold spots. 

This lure is colored after the old style aluminum 
lure used so much a number of years ago in the 
Eastern states for bass and called the Yellow Kid, 
probably because the spinners resembled the ears of 
that well-known comic of a few years back. Here is 
a color combination that has not been used much 
in this neck of the woods, the mid-West; something 
that one of the well-known anglers has been mak- 
ing a killing with, though few plug casters carry 
anything odd in the color line in their kit. That it 
was a success is shown by the fact that I had a half- 
dozen hurry-up calls from fellows up at Butternut 



i86 COIN' FISHIN' 

to send them a few of this style lure. And It was 
some job locating them, there having been prac- 
tically no call for this color, and it was mostly out 
of stock. 

Just as a safety first, It might be well to Include 
a few of these odd colors in the kit and have them 
laying away for emergency use. 



LARGE-MOUTH VS. SMALL.MOUTH 

It seems that every kind of game fish has its loyal 
bunch of boosters, who praise their special pet fish 
to the sky and cuss out most every other species. 
Many fellows sing the praise of the brook trout, 
the rainbow and the brown, but the dyed-in-the-wool 
small mouth basser does his salaams to the red-eyed 
bronze-backed warrior of the running stream and 
to no other flirting game fish. 

Right at the start, let me say that I am for the 
small-mouth, because he is the scrappiest game fish 
of the inland waters; he can kick up more of a rust- 
ling fight for his size than any other fish, and he 
just loves the scrap; fact is, although he is purely 
an American fish, I have my suspicions that he has a 
streak of Irish in his make-up. He dotes on giv- 
ing you the slip right up to when you are about to 
net him, and he can blarney you into giving a little 
slack so that he can hit the surface and throw your 
hook with a massive shake of his body. 

Although I am for the small-mouth as the scrap- 
piest fighter, this does not lower the large-mouth 
bass as a fighter in my estimation. The large-mouth, 
as a general rule, may not be quite as fast and clever 

187 



i88 GOIN' FISHIN' 

as the running stream; small-mouth, but oh, boy! I 
can get a lot of joy out of having one of them strike 
my bait and take it for a run. And let me say that 
you don't land every large-mouth you hook, not by 
a jugful. The large-mouth is a clever fighter and a 
strong one, and he strikes for the air just as much 
as the small-mouth. 

The small-mouth bass is more inclined to life in 
the streams. He likes the running water, the clear, 
cool stretches and his fighting the current all his life 
makes him a strong, sturdy scrapper. His fins and 
tail are well developed from fighting fast water, and 
when you hook him you naturally get the benefit of 
the muscle. And he is clever in that he knows every 
snag and root under water, where he goes rapidly 
in an effort to snag the line and tear it, or he may 
quickly make up his mind to cut it across the sharp 
edge of a rock and speed off to other localities. He 
knows the stretch of waters he swims about, and 
usually he has some particular location that he calls 
home, and this under-water home is as familiar to 
him as the city dweller's flat. This naturally gives 
him an advantage and he is quick to take the benefit 
of it. 

The large-mouth is usually found in the lakes. 
He has no particular love for the streams, although 
he is often found in them. But his popular dish is 
the lake where an abundance gf weeds, reeds and 
lily pads grow, and this is his real home. Where 



LARGE-MOUTH VS. SMALL-MOUTH 189 

there are good weed formations in any lake is a good 
place to cast for the large-mouth, and a snag, wind- 
fall, log or brush-heap is generally the hiding place 
of a good, big large-mouth, who grows fat and lazy, 
snapping up the unwary pan fish and minnows that 
swim past his hangout. That is what makes him 
the big fellow we all have the hankering for. 

Often we find the large-mouth and small-mouth 
bass in the same lakes, the small-mouth making his 
home around the rocky ledges, off the sand-bars, the 
shoals and the gravelly shores and in the warm, mid- 
summer days down around the spring holes; the 
large-mouth hunting the mud and marl bottoms, the 
underwater weeds and the lily pads. About the 
only time we find these two bass friendly-like is in 
the hot days when both of them school around the 
spring holes. This Is not always a set rule, how- 
ever, but it is the case in the majority of lakes where 
two bass live, as I have caught both large and small- 
mouth bass in some lakes in the same locations and 
at the same time. I recall one instance where a pal 
caught a fairly large small-mouth casting from one 
side of the boat, and I was lucky enough to land a 
fine large-mouth from the opposite side. My large- 
mouth of that cove put up a fight equal to the scrap 
of the partner's small-mouth, and it stands to rea- 
son that these fish living in the same waters should 
fight about equally, anyway. 

The large small-mouth will fall for the wooden 



190 COIN' FISHIN' 

minnow the same as his cousin, the large-mouth, but 
it is fairly hard to interest him in the plug in stream 
fishing, except the smaller sized artificials. In fact, 
I have found the pork rind with a small spinner and 
a red ibis fly about as attractive a bait as you will 
find for him in the stream fishing. Of course, to get 
the real sport out of fishing for the small-mouth the 
fly-casting game has the rest of the outfit licked at 
the starting post, as there is nothing that quite equals 
the fight of a small-mouth on the off-end of a long, 
limber fly rod. And he is quite eager to strike the 
fly after the bugs, millers, butterflies and grasshop- 
pers have come forth to taunt him by flying close 
over the surface of the water. 

The safest bet in going after him with the fly is 
to have an outfit a trifle heavier than your trout fly- 
casting tackle, as he puts up a rough fight which calls 
for some roughing on your part, something that a 
rather light trouting rod will not stand for and come 
out of the battle without a kink in the tip or one of 
the joints. The wet or sunken fly will probably in- 
terest him more than the dry fly in most cases, al- 
though a floating bass bug placed in the right spot 
will make him curl up in delight at the chance to 
strike it. 

The large-mouth bass of the lake is a trifle hard to 
interest in the fly. There are times after a rain 
when the fly can be played to a finish along the shores 
and the large-mouth be taken with apparent ease by 



LARGE-MOUTH VS. SMALL-MOUTH 191 

this method, as instinct has taught him that the 
surface at that time is usually filled with good, juicy 
feed in the shape of insects beaten into the water 
from the trees and brush along the shore. 



AMONG THE LITTLE FELLOWS 

There is hardly a fisherman in the gang who can- 
not help slip back in memory to the beginning of the 
fishing days with him when as a kid he wiggled his 
toes in the clay or sandy banks of the home creek 
and kicked along down to the favorite hole to take 
a flier at fishin' for the sunnies, crappies, bluegills, 
rock bass and perch. Those were some days and 
great was the joy when you trudged home with a 
heavy string of those snappy little fighters. Your 
tackle as a whole didn't amount to much as tackle 
goes nowadays, probably a pole cut from the nearby 
bank, a stretch of string and a penny's worth of 
minnow hooks, but, oh boy! how the little fellows 
came up and nibbled the worm. Then you just 
naturally yanked them out of the water, way up onto 
the bank among the grass and weeds. They never 
had a chance after they took your bait and matched 
wits with your husky arm. 

It's different now. You go up North after the 
big musky or the scrapping small-mouth and his big- 
mouthed cousin, both husky fighters of bass fame, 
and you have sort of forgotten all about the anti- 
race suicide bunch, the pan-fish. Some day when 

192 



AMONG THE LITTLE FELLOWS 193 

the bass are off the feed and the pike outfit just will 
not notice anything you toss them, take a flier at 
the pan-fish and have an afternoon's real fun. 

To get real pleasure out of fishing for the pan- 
fish and put it on a sporting basis, slip into a tackle 
shop and buy a long steel still-fishing rod about ten 
or twelve feet long. This is a light, whippy rod that 
a little pan-fish can bend to considerable arch, and 
it gives them a fighting chance to get away, some- 
thing they do not have with a short rod. 

Probably a lot of the fishing gang will shout right 
out : " Huh ! What sport is there in landing a pan- 
fish?" From my end of the table I'll slip a stack 
of chips that a lot of regular guys at the angling 
handicap will not land every pannie they hook, and 
that when the long rod begins to arch and the line 
cuts the water in short little zips, they will realize 
that they have been overlooking a part of the game 
that is worth while. 

Naturally, these little rascals do not put up the 
screaming fight of the gamer basses and pike, but 
they do make a short, decided effort to stay in their 
home waters, and, finding the give to the rod, they 
are quick to take advantage of it. 

The rest of the outfit can be the bait-casting reel, 
an old line with a three-foot gut leader and a few 
very small Aberdeen or Sneck hooks, not to forget 
split shot sinkers and a bobber, if you wish it. The 
gut leader is preferable to simple snelled hooks, be- 



194 COIN' FISHIN' 

cause it will keep your line upright in the water, 
which is a decided advantage when you are still-fish- 
ing. With this outfit, and the knowledge that the 
pan-fish are rather accommodating little fellows, bit- 
ing any time in the day and most any time during 
the season, you ought to hook out a lot of sport 
giving them the once over. 

The crappie is found in most of the lakes and 
ponds as well as the more sluggish streams, and al- 
though you can get them all through the season, 
during June and the fall months they are at their 
best. Worms, live minnows and grasshoppers make 
a good bait, and at times they come right up to the 
small trout flies. The rock bass is a trifle more par- 
ticular about his watery quarters, having a prefer- 
ence for the clear, cold water of the running stream. 
Here he likes to stick around among the rocks, in the 
deep holes or around the stumps and brush heaps 
or windfalls. In the lakes he is likely found where 
the pickerel grasses and reeds grow, while an old 
water-soaked log makes a real home for him. About 
the best baits are worms, minnows and grub-worms, 
while a small spinner often makes the bait more at- 
tractive. Keep it moving a trifle in the water, and 
look out for a scrap at the start that will make you 
think you have a larger fish, as he starts out with a 
rushing fight when first hooked, and then makes an- 
other short splurge when brought up to the boat- 



AMONG THE LITTLE FELLOWS 195 

side. At times in the evening the rock bass is a con- 
sistent surface feeder, making good sport on the fly 
rod. I have found that he takes the red Ibis, Par- 
mancheene Belle, the Silver Doctor flies quite freely, 
and when the small yellow butterflies are on wing 
and hitting the surface every now and then, the small- 
sized Yellow Sally fly is a rather taking one. 

The bluegill is probably more numerous than the 
other pan-fish, and is found in nearly all lakes and 
quiet streams, the smaller lakes being usually more 
heavily populated with them. The bluegill runs to 
good size as the pan-fish go, and is, I believe, the 
gamest of the outfit. He schools off the edges of the 
sand bars, in among the weeds, and you can locate 
a crowd of them and land the whole outfit without 
moving the boat. The bluegill hooks himself as a 
rule, nibbling slowly at your bait until he has sucked 
in the bait and hook. Finding that he has hooked 
himself, he gets a little sore, and the show opens with 
the bluegill making tracks for somewhere else. Any 
of the baits that interest the other pannies make the 
bluegill happy, while small pieces of cut-up fish gullet 
or belly are quite good for him. 

The entire pan-fish family are an interesting bunch 
of little fellows that make fishing worth while on 
the days when the rough game fighters are a trifle 
quiet and not over friendly, and they are accommo- 
dating enough to bite any time. Because of this 



196 COIN' FISHIN' 

and the fact that there is nothing better in the food 
line than a platter of well-browned pan-fish, a sweet- 
tasting fish, because of the clean living of the tribe, 
we can thank them and toss them a little credit, just 
as well as any of the game fish. 



CANOEING THE UPPER WISCONSIN 

Have you ever pushed a canoe into the water at 
a little by-station on a railroad in the north woods 
and paddled off into the wilderness, with your grub 
pack and kit the only thing between you and exist- 
ence for a week or two? 

If you have never tried this little stunt, old-timer, 
you have slipped up on the real sport of the fishing 
game. A fast-running stream, with a bit of white 
water here and there; the camps in the evening, the 
" free-from-all " feeling away from the walled-up 
cities builded by man, just a sneak back to the in- 
stincts of our forebears in their wilderness conquer- 
ing days. It's great ! It'll put a pinch of pep into 
your system, smooth down the raveled ends of your 
nerves and give you an appetite that will cost you a 
fortune to satiate when you get back to the grind 
of everyday life. 

There is a canoe-fishing trip that I take every year, 
regardless of any other, and that is on the head- 
waters of the great old Wisconsin River. A trip 
from Conover, Wis., a little drop-off station on the 
Chicago and Northwestern Railway, right in the 
heart of the woods. Nothing there but a depot, a 

197 



198 COIN' FISHIN' 

store and a house, but when you slip the canoe into 
the water where the stream is only about thirty feet 
wide you begin a trip downstream that will end up 
at Rhinelander, where the river starts out into the 
regular-size class. 

This trip can be made with easy paddling in six 
days, taking plenty of time to fish or it can be made 
a two weeks' trip by loafing along at a nice easy 
run with the current and putting in more time swing- 
ing the rod. The fishing is excellent all the way 
from Eagle River down to Rhinelander. The bass 
fishing in the waters below Rainbow Rapids is fine, 
and from the concrete bridge, three miles below the 
Rainbow, you will find no better river fishing in Wis- 
consin. 

Five miles below the concrete bridge the river 
widens out into a lake formation and the backwater 
sloughs here are alive with bass, musky and pike; 
in fact, the river from the bridge down to Rhine- 
lander is a fine stretch of musky fishing. In this run 
of water last season a fifty-two pound musky came 
to gaff, and quite a number of old huskies in the 
thirty-pound class, which is some fishing when you 
consider the added kick tied up in the tail of a river- 
raised musky. Although you will find good fishing 
all along the river, the most time should be devoted 
to fishing this piece of water- 
On the trip you will have to carry your camping 
kit and grub for a week at least, as you will find no 




— c ~ 
-a 3 w 4^ 

"O w 



a '^ 



4_> d) J-* 
_Q 4-1 C 



w 



i-0 



"o •£ .£ . oj 

I X) 3 ^ ^ ;_• 

— p CO (^ CO 

n: >, O (u y 

T3^.i: <U ■:; ti 



-C'— CO M' 

:= co-C^ 
T3 O W lU 
C « C ^ 

~ y "5 m - 

.Sou '^'^ « 
^ «<5 ?? .= 

M"JD-5 E ^ 



CO 

E 



O CO 
CO 



^.s 



CO V 



^ ^ o 
- ^ c 



>- 



CO t/) i_ ti 
l^Jli ^ (U CO 

^ o > ^ 
CO, 

S .S y c - 

• -c ra c 



3 O oj 5J 

O 5 g-o 



^ 



t^J2X) ^ C .. 

to g >, ^ 3 j2 

js: J- _v <u c •" 
.y > T-a" o < 

:S- Be ^ 

Occ h! CO cr tfl 



CANOEING THE UPPER WISCONSIN 199 

place to stock up after leaving Eagle River until 
you strike the Frenchman's, about three miles below 
Rainbow Rapids. Here you can get enough veg- 
etables at a moderate cost to carry you through the 
rest of the trip, although you will pass farms here 
and there all the way to Rhinelander from the 
Frenchman's down. But he is a good old scout, and 
you can make a dicker with him for everything in 
the garden line, also eggs, butter and chickens. 

The first day you will make about thirty miles, 
starting about 8 o'clock from Conover, and puUing 
into the high bank to make camp about 4 P. M. the 
first day in order to practice up on making camp and 
cooking over the camp fire. 

About two miles below camp you will pass a red 
wagon bridge and near by a farm house, where 
you can fill your water bottle at an excellent spring. 
Four miles further is the Eagle River power plant 
dam. The churning of the water will be heard some 
distance, but cheer up, old scout, you cannot ride the 
dam. 

The first and only portage is now in order, but 
it is merely a short hike of a hundred feet around 
the dam to the river below. Here the rocks stick 
out of the water and the speed of the stream in- 
creases, but it is easy stuff to run and no chance of a 
spill unless you hit a submerged rock, and a spill 
here is not at all dangerous. 

After a run of about a mile farther you hear the 



206 COIN' FISHIN' 

rumble of Otter Rapids; it sounds like a bit of far- 
off thunder, but as you close in on the fast water the 
rumble and roar become louder. 

For two miles from the farmhouse you will have 
a stretch of riffles and fast water that Is real sport 
dodging the rocks and keeping the canoe in the chan- 
nel. Keep your eyes peeled for a low bridge of 
wired logs stretched across the river about three 
feet above the water. Here you can make camp 
on the left-hand bank about 300 yards above the 
bridge, where there is a good spring. 

The third and fourth day can be made in easy 
stages of running and fishing. The small-mouth 
bass fishing along this stretch is fine. Along about 
noon the fourth day you will get the first purring 
sound of the Rainbow Rapids, and as you hear them 
you will see from the water whirling and foaming 
over the rocks that this is the fastest and roughest 
water of the entire trip. 

They'll throw a scare into you, at first, so pull 
into shore and look 'em over before shooting them. 
If you prefer you can portage here, making a short 
carry of about 600 yards, but the rocks are nearly 
all below the surface and the running Is safe. Slip 
the little old canoe into high and the ride between 
the cliffs of Rainbow will give you a bunch of thrills 
that will make you feel like portaging the canoe up- 
stream and hitting them down again. 



LEAVES FROM AN ANGLER'S DIARY 

A WEEK ON WISCONSIN WATERS 

Three Lakes, JVis. — It takes all kinds of people 
to make this world the grand old place it is to live 
in and likewise it takes all kinds of people to make 
up the fishing clan. It sure was a mixed group hold- 
ing down the cushions in the Pullman smoker on 
the way north to the home of the game-fins among 
the thousands of lakes of upper Wisconsin. 

Discoursing on the best bait for the early morn- 
ing stunt was the secretary of one of the great west 
coast railways, and his pal of the smoking-room, 
who made a specialty of casting with the floating bass 
bug, was a doctor of note who knows more about 
the nose and throat than most fellows know of their 
favorite brand. 

Mixed here and there in the keen-eyed crowd was 
a wholesale grocer and his star traveler, a drug- 
gist from a down-state town, and his best friend, 
the local horse doctor, a preacher, and a city-hall 
chair-warmer and myself, sitting back and sawing 
wood. 

It sure must be a great call made by the lake and 
stream gods to drag men of all professions and work 

201 



202 COIN' FISHIN' 

from their every-day life, and it certainly registers 
strong, because these same fellows hit the steel each 
year to add to their records of game battles well 
won and sometimes, as they will admit if you have 
the goods on them, lost. 

And ragged and worn from the driving work of 
putting the shoulder to the wheel and speeding things 
along to keep production up, this band of workers 
comes back from the trip to the big woods country 
full o' pep and with a clear brain. 

That the call is widespread and the rod wielders 
come to these famous- waters from the far edges of 
this great old country is shown by " shooting the 
lamps " over a few registers at the different resorts 
and camps. Here at Three Lakes I found them 
from Boston, Buffalo, Newport News, and Pitts- 
burgh on the east; Mobile, Houston, Memphis, and 
Jacksonville on the south, and St. Louis, Omaha, 
Wichita, and Oklahoma City on the west, with a 
big scattering from towns we do not know by their 
first names. 

Hitting the long trail to the late Shorty Fournier's 
camp on Butternut lake through twenty miles of 
timber from Three Lakes gives you an awful appe- 
tite for breakfast, but, say, old-timer, the small- 
mouth bass fishing in Butternut and nearby lakes is 
as fine as you will find anywhere. 

Al Shotwell, of Chicago, landed seven small- 
mouth that went over four pounds yesterday, which, 



LEAVES FROM AN ANGLER'S DIARY 203 

by the way, we might say is some fishin'. H. A. 
Steinwender, of St. Louis, brought in as fine a string 
as you'll see in many a day's fishing and his wife 
flashed a couple of three and four pounders that 
showed the gallantry of the Butternut small-mouth 
bass, but then what fish could resist striking the lure 
of a charming lady in khaki. 

Watts Richmond, of Buffalo, who has tossed his 
line in the waters from coast to coast and who knows 
most fish by their pet names, gets them via the fly 
route, and they certainly must like his flies because 
he makes the big ones come up to the surface right 
along. Watts' opinion of these bass waters is shown 
by the fact that he came up last season to stick 
around a couple of weeks, and he stuck right on 
the job for five months with a comeback on the 
openers this season and still here. 

On the back trail we run in at the Laurelton resort, 
over which Mrs. Drake presides and tacked up to 
Mrs. Drake's rod is a forty-three pound musky. 
Do you get that, fellows, a forty-three pounder, and 
just a slip of a woman handles the rod with the skill 
necessary to make it say *' uncle "? This game-fin 
struck on a No. 9 Skinner spoon, and the rod used 
was a light Bristol No. 25, with a fifteen-pound test- 
line. Some light stuff to rough-house a forty-three 
pounder. One hour he pulled every musky trick he 
had learned from the old fathers of the tribe and 
what new ones his own keen mind had doped out. 



204 COIN' FISHIN' 

Four times he hit the air, then under- the boat and 
circled it with a corkscrew turn and a head-rush for 
a long dive. But he came to gaff, and this musky is 
probably high fish now on record for the lady 
anglers. 

F. C. Binckley, of Sycamore, 111., pulled out an 
eighteen-pounder from Little Fork Lake just to show 
me how they were hitting it that day, and Charles 
C. Burton, of Edwardsville, 111., and C. F. Johnson, 
of New Smyrna, Fla., brought in fine strings of bass 
and wall-eyed pike to show what Laurelton folks 
could do if they really wanted to. 

Eagle River, Wis. — Up in these famous musky 
waters there is one big old granddaddy musky that 
will never answer to the twirling flash of the golden 
spoon as it glides Invitingly through the deep green 
waters of Meta Lake. This sire of many muskies 
passed on to musky heaven In the quiet waters of 
Meta Lake, probably surrounded by the whole tribe; 
at least, while fishing a stretch of the south shore 
of the lake with Horace Tilden we found him float- 
ing, white side up, the waves kissing him tenderly as 
they washed him shorewards. 

There is a bit of a story connected with this big 
fellow, who topped the scales at fifty-eight pounds, 
had a length of fifty-five inches and a girth of twenty- 
three inches, to say nothing of a mouth that looked 
like a coal scuttle and armed with a double row of 
dagger-pointed teeth that spoke well of his ability 



LEAVES FROM AN ANGLER'S DIARY 205 

to forage enough to eat among other roughnecks of 
the weed-beds. When we hauled this old-timer 
ashore and gave him the close-up we found a bullet- 
mark close behind the gill covers. It was entirely 
healed over and this bullet probably helped the old 
fellow to his last swimming-place. 

But to the story. Early in June, B. D. Hoorn- 
beek, of Elgin, 111., who had been fishing out of Til- 
den Brothers' resort, on Lake Meta, hooked and 
fought for over an hour a large musky, and, after 
bringing him close to the boat, he took a shot at him 
with his automatic, hitting the musky behind the 
gills. This sort of livened the big one up and in 
the final effort for freedom and the right to kick 
around the cool waters of Meta he snapped the line 
on Hoornbeek and did the fadeaway. 

The big fight was witnessed from the shore and 
it was a disgusted angler who told the story that 
evening before the big log fire. Having had a 
taste of the fighting power of this gray-whiskered 
father of the Meta muskies, Hoornbeek stuck around 
four more weeks and spent the entire time trying 
to beguile this self-same battler to take his Lowe- 
Star Spoon with its gold and silver sides, figuring 
that he had hked it so well the first time he prob- 
ably would take it again. Although he succeeded in 
landing a number of other muskies, the big one was 
trying to get back his kick down in some cool hole 
far from any lure. The bullet, however, probably 



206 COIN' FISHIN' 

worked its evil spell and no other fisherman will ever 
feel the thrilling fight of this wily barbarian. For 
his hour's fight we give him credit. May he kick 
around happily in the musky waters over the great 
divide. 

Fishing has been good at Meta and the other lakes 
fished by the anglers at Tllden Brothers' resort, the 
bass and pike playing the game friendly like with 
the musky coming in when coaxed a bit. Alfred M. 
Lane, of St. Louis, had a nice string of bass the day 
I tricked a four and a half pounder Into the landing 
net. H. E. Holbrook, of Boston, brought in a fine 
string of bass and pike, the largest wall-eye a five 
pounder. Lm betting a stack of white chips that 
Holbrook feels right at home with the Tllden boys, 
who were originally from Boston; that was away 
back when I was a kid, because we had as nice a pot 
of real Yankee Boston baked beans as any Boston- 
ian ever caressed with a fork. Great beans, great 
fishin ' ! What more could a fisherman want in a 
day's paddle? 

Meeting Sheriff George Jackson, of Vilas County, 
on the main street of Eagle River, not officially, of 
course, " fellers," but just accidentally, I " fliv- 
vered " down to Lake Alma, where Mrs. George has 
the Red Oak resort and put in a day's fine fishing on 
Alma, Little St. Germain, and Moon lakes. 

The bass were particularly interested in a Pflueger- 
Surprise Minnow that I tossed in among the weed 



LEAVES FROM AN ANGLER'S DIARY 207 

pockets; luck was with me and the bass in these 
lakes, which probably accounts for the fact that I had 
as nice a bit of fishing as I have met up with this 
season. 

E. C. Woods, of Milwaukee, brought in a bass 
limit the same day from Little St. Germain and took 
'em home with him, and Colonel Andrews landed a 
seven-pound pike as well as a fine string of bass in 
the same waters. Fishing with a sheriff is a great 
game, especially when he is a corking good fellow 
like George Jackson and everything you are doing 
is within the law. That the game and fish laws are 
respected in Vilas County as well as the regular line 
of laws that are necessary for other fellows than 
anglers is no doubt largely due to the fact that little 
old George Jackson is on the job. I'd rather have 
him with me than " after " me. He's one of those 
medium built fellows who don't say much, but one 
squint at his eyes gives you the dope that he gets 
what and who he goes after. 

There are days, of course, when the fishing is off. 
That is a natural thing: days when you can toss 'em 
any old feed or bait and they don't even nose it, but 
any fellow but a game-hog expects such days and can 
find many delightful ways to pass the time in the 
north woods when the fish happen to be off their 
feed. Then, again, there is a lot of locating the fish 
in any waters if you expect to land these gay tail- 
kickers. Often a fellow will waste his time fishing 



2o8 COIN' FISHIN' 

a stretch of water that no self-respecting game-fish 
would inhabit. Waters that have no feed have no 
attraction to the game fish that thinks of a feed 
above all else. You've got to locate 'em to fill the 
creel or stringer, and the best way is to have a guide 
or study the waters yourself that you intend to fish. 

Arthur Guy Empey, famous as a Hun strafer with 
the British Tommy before the U. S. kicked into the 
big scrap, later famous as the author of " Over the 
Top," has slipped back to the primitive and is straf- 
ing the bass and musky up in great old Eagle River 
waters. There is confusion in the fish families and 
warnings have been given to all the big fins that this 
short live wire is on the job and after them. 

Like anything else that Empey has tackled, he has 
kicked into the fishing game with both feet, and yes- 
terday he landed five small-mouth, red-eye bass 
weighing 43^ to 5^4 pounds, not counting a bunch 
of smaller " feelers " he put back in the Eagle River 
waters to grow up. In this respect Empey is a sure 
enough clean sportsman, as he returns many fish to 
the water. 

In the meantime, fellows, don't those old " he- 
wop " bass sound good, and can you slip back into 
your easy-chair and dope up the rattling good fight 
they put up, four or five pounds of high-volted kick 
in every one of them. The sing of the line as they 
made their rushing run for a snag or windfall, then 
the back rush on the line to get a bit of slack. The 



LEAVES FROM AN ANGLER'S DIARY 209 

frantic speedy reeling in to take away the slack as 
the game-fin made his wonderful break on top o' the 
water for the massive shake of his whole body in 
order to throw the stinging hook. Then the giv- 
ing of just a little line as he fell back on the water 
so that he would not land on a taut line and tear the 
hook from his mouth. And finally as his runs short- 
ened and his kick lost its pep, slipping the landing net 
under him and there in the boat is a bronze-backed 
warrior, as keen a battler as ever fell to the skill of 
a fisherman. Man, that's the life, full o' thrills 
from the strike to the landing-net, and never once 
sure of your fish until you have him on the stringer. 
Captain Empey is making his headquarters at Til- 
den Brothers' resort on Lake Meta, the same old 
lake from which we dragged the 58-pound musky. 
Horace Tilden has been showing Empey the high 
spots in the fishing-game in the Eagle River waters, 
and by the way, Horace knows just where these spots 
are, as he has been kicking around the lakes and 
streams in the vicinity of Lake Meta for twenty 
years, and he sure has a close acquaintance with the 
real " holes " of that part of Vilas County. After 
hearing the dope on the 58-pounder, Guy made up 
his mind to stick around the waters until he con- 
nects up with the walloping kick of one of these old- 
time residents of Meta or one of the other famous 
musky lakes nearby, and as he generally gets what 
he goes after, I am playing it right across the board 



210 COIN' FISHIN' 

that he lands one of these husky roughnecks before 
he gets through. And by all of the points of the 
game, he should; the musky are there and Empey 
has shown by his bassing work that he is no mean 
angler at that. Fact is, he plays the game fins skill- 
fully and with good judgment. 

I sure feel sorry for the musky of the Eagle River 
waters. That Empey certainly has his mind on the 
game, and with Horace Tilden hunting out their 
hiding-places, the musky has no chance a-tall. The 
big one might just as well follow the dope of the coon 
with ol' Davy Crockett and come right up and hook 
himself on Guy's lure and be done with it. That 
pair are going to stick to the musky game if it takes 
a year, and when I recall that a forty-pounder two 
seasons ago fell to the lure of Mrs. Molden, of Chi- 
cago, from these same waters, here's crossing my 
fingers with the wish that Empey gets a chance to 
hook up with a real old roughneck and test his tackle 
skill against the wily cunning of a musky with a tail- 
ful of tricks he has acquired himself and what he 
learned from the other gray-whiskered musky of the 
under-water trails. 

Phelps, Wis. — "There he goes!" piped Dick 
Menefee at the steering-wheel, as a big fine buck 
jumped on to the road and speeded in front of our 
Henry the Fourth on our way to Long Lake, where 
Charley Hazen holds forth at the Long Lake Lodge. 
That word had arrived at Eagle River that the wall- 



LEAVES FROM AN ANGLER'S DIARY 211 

eyed pike were " hitting 'em " up at Long Lake, so 
we decided to take the cast at some of the big rela- 
tives of the past performing wall-eyes of that deep, 
cold lake, which, by the way, is the real home of the 
wall-eye pike. 

As a big buck made his getaway down the road 
between the walls of hardwood timber, four trigger 
fingers gave a nervous twitch and with a fanning 
wave of the tail Sir Buck hopped into the green. 
This was the sixth buck that we had jumped on the 
eighteen-mile drive to Long Lake, which sure makes 
the old buck law look good to the deer-hunter. 
Last season a bunch of antisportsmen had enough 
influence to have this law set aside and many doe 
were knocked over by a bunch of near deer-hunters 
who were too lazy to go after a buck. 

Not only was the buck law a protection for the 
doe and a means to Increase the deer of Wisconsin, 
but it also was a fine protection for the hunter, for 
the simple reason that another hunter never shot at 
his deer until he had a clear enough view of the game 
to see the horns. This fact saved many lives, as the 
inexperienced hunter generally banged away at any 
movement in the brush or at what he thought might 
be a deer, with the result that the casualty list from 
the north woods ran high and the deer got the habit 
of sticking to the tamarack-swamps during the day 
time and feeding at night while the season was open. 

With the one-buck law off the statutes for keeps 



212 COIN' FISHIN' 

there is not a big enough spread of horns in the north 
woods country to get me into the timber dressed in 
a suit of khaki hunting-togs. And as far as wearing 
a fur hunting-cap, nix, that's too clean a target for 
the over-anxious pot-hunter. It might have been all 
right for ol' Dan'l Boone to skip around through the 
woods with a coonskin hunting-cap, but in his day 
they never shot until they knew what they were shoot- 
ing at. 

The last few miles on the way to Long Lake run 
through virgin hardwood, and the deep dark forests 
of green with the sun-shafts filtering through in 
golden spots are a wonderful sight for the city man, 
whose eyes are dimmed by the backfire of the sun 
from the brick walled cities builded by man, not to 
mention the eye-strain caused by the gay broiler as 
she trips the light fantastic while he guides his fork 
through the midnight supper. And nerves, why a 
couple of days in the hardwood country make you 
forget you ever had any, especially if you spend the 
in-between days on the lakes or streams coaxing the 
big boys up to the surface. 

We hit Long Lake Lodge and the glad hand of 
Charley Hazen just in time to see Elmer Patton 
come ashore with a twenty-six pound musky that had 
put up a twenty-eight minute fight that was a nerve- 
tingler. Up out of the water five times in a rattling 
good leap, with a shake of the body each time that 
rattled the No. 2 Lowe-Star spoon like the tattoo of 



LEAVES FROM AN ANGLER'S DIARY 213 

an impatient telephone. Back on the line after the 
third rise, with a straight run for the boat and a 
header under it, and Patton had his work cut out for 
him for a few minutes to keep the wise old musky 
from corkscrewing back on the line and getting a 
purchase hold for his tail so that he could break it. 

The day before Neic Peasley landed a twenty-one 
pound musky that scrapped like a thoroughbred, but 
just the rushing, snappy fight you would expect from 
a cold spring lake right in the center of the divide 
between the Mississippi and St. Lawrence waters. 
Mr. and Mrs. L. H. Davidson, of Chicago, landed 
fine strings of bass and pike the afternoon we met 
a few nice small-mouth bass. 

It is from the waters of Long Lake that O. K. 
Richards, of Chicago, played the winning fight with 
a seven-pound four-ounce and a seven-pound eight- 
ounce small-mouth bass a couple of seasons ago, 
which, by the way, are mighty big bronze-backers. 
These two small-mouth bass are the largest caught 
in the Midwest for a number of years and O. K. 
comes up here every year hoping to beat his own 
high record for these famous small-mouth waters. 

Another Chicagoan who summers up at this height 
of land is Bishop Anderson of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church. And say, fellows, the bishop is a 
real, sure enough fisherman. The way he can toss 
the feathery fancies to the trout family is well worth 
watching. His favorite trouting-stream is the Alvoy 



214 COIN' FISHIN' 

Creek, a bit east of Long Lake, and to get there he 
hits the seven-mile trail like an old-time woodsman. 
He also fishes in the Brule River and the Deerskin, 
which has its source in Long Lake. 

The brook-trout fishing in the Alvoy and Brule is 
excellent, and the Deerskin has stood by its record 
for rainbow trout this season, as usual. The mouth 
of the Deerskin down at Scattering Rice Lake has 
been stocked for a number of years with plenty of 
rainbow fingerling, and these husky youngsters have 
worked up to the cooler waters of the upper stream, 
where they are tickled to death to get a chance at 
the flies. 

Long Lake Lodge has one thing that few fishing 
resorts can boast of, and that is a chapel. Bishop 
Anderson, who has his own log-cabin on Long Lake, 
has a wonderful little chapel built close by, where 
the overzealous fishermen can hear a few words of 
wisdom from the bishop before telling their fish- 
stories to their friends back home. I have an idea 
that the bishop knows how awfully large the fish 
grow up in Long Lake, and that if the aver- 
age fisherman ambled home and told the other fel- 
lows how large the one was that got away, adding, 
of course, the natural increase through repetition of 
the story, the back-home people would get the im- 
pression that nothing but prevaricators fished those 
waters. 

Anyway, a fellow is lucky to have a chance to fish 



LEAVES FROM AN ANGLER'S DIARY 215 

these waters, and if, at the same time, he has the 
opportunity to hear Bishop Anderson tell a fish-story 
or preach a sermon, he is doubly lucky. 

Donaldson, Wis. — Of all the north woods coun- 
try" of Wisconsin there is none finer than that along 
the great divide, the ridges of which push the waters 
to the north and on into the St. Lawrence, and on 
the other side down into the Gulf of Mexico via the 
Mississippi and its tributaries. And these streams 
that flow on and on toward the Atlantic are the 
favorite waters of the trout family, while those 
which flow to the south lands are the breeding-homes 
of the fierce old musky and his family. The ridges 
are covered with virgin hardwood timber all along 
from the Lac VIeux Desert waters over to the Cisco 
waters, and as we ambled along the wheezing cough 
of the lumber logging trains made strange music in 
the depths of these sturdy forests. 

The cutting-out gangs were busy as a bunch of 
beavers getting out the hardwood timber, and these 
husky fellows can snake a log along with about as 
much speed as I could man-handle a toothpick. For 
real downright, unalloyed pleasure that is different 
from anything you have ever experienced before, 
spend a day with the loggers and hop up into the cab 
with the throttle-pusher on one of their prehistoric 
engines and rattle and cough along through the close- 
walled alleys of maple and oak. There's a sniff to 
the air that will give you an appetite that you have 



2i6 GOIN' FISHIN' 

not experienced since the time when you were a kid, 
and, believe me, a stack of cakes six inches high is 
merely the opener. 

A few days ago I had traveled a bit with George 
Jackson, the live sheriff of Vilas County, and, be- 
sides being a rattling good pal on trail or stream, 
George stands ace high with the inhabitants of that 
little county. A drag like that is worth having in 
the party, and I was tickled when he volunteered, 
after a little coaxing, to do the Lac Vieux Desert 
waters with us. On the way out we were held up 
by a fairly wet settler with a pronounced German 
accent who had a barrel of bottled hops In the tail 
end of his buckboard. As soon as this son of the 
soil spied the sheriff he wanted to make good as to 
his Americanism, and during his protestation, which 
included his record on Liberty Bonds, Red Cross, 
War-saving Stamps, and his personal opinion of the 
Kaiser, which is censored, he forced us to dispose 
of a bit of bottled bait with which to toast confusion 
to the entire Hohenzollern family from Frederick 
the Great down. As the day was a bit warm and 
the road a trifle dusty, we toasted with gusto and 
frequency; in fact, I never knew before that there 
were so many Hohenzollerns in Germany. 

Lac Vieux Desert is one of the largest inland lakes 
of the North and it nestles in among the hills, a 
pretty blue gem in a setting of greens of the timbered 
shore. This is primarily a lake of muskellunge, 



LEAVES FROM AN ANGLER'S DIARY 217 

many of the big ones answering to the last call from 
Its waters, although the bass and pike are also taken 
in good size and fine strings. The lake has forty 
miles of shore line, pleasingly wooded and with well- 
hidden bays and numerous islands. An ideal lake 
for the big game muskies, with enough elbow-room 
to give them many miles of water range and feed, 
something that affords them a chance to grow up 
into the old " he-wop " class, the kind of fish all 
the real " muskyteers " are looking for at least once 
in their lifetime. 

Here is the home of the Maple Grove Resort 
Musky Club, the headquarters of which are at the 
Maple Grove resort, over which Harry Frank pre- 
sides. And whether Harry Frank is the host at a 
dinner at the Maple Grove or over the campfire, 
in the trout stream, or on the lake for musky, he 
is there forty ways from the jack. He knows fish- 
ing from the kiddie days up and is a sportsman clear 
through the deck, standing for game laws and regu- 
lation to help make fishing better each year. The 
more men of his caliber who get behind the game 
in the north country will mean much for the great 
outdoors and the feathers, furs, and fins of its won- 
derlands. 

There is one thing that stands out strong in the 
musky game at Lac Vieux Desert, and that is the 
large number of big fish that have been caught there 
by rank amateurs at fishing for his lordship. Last 



2i8 COIN' FISHIN' 

season seven muskies of over forty pounds were 
landed by fishermen who had never fished for musky 
before, and two of over forty pounds were landed 
by ladies on their first foray after these husky rough- 
necks. It sure is queer dope, this horseshoe stuff of 
the musky game. A regular, sure-enough musky 
fiend may follow it for years and not get one over 
the twenty-five mark, and along comes a tenderfoot 
who knocks over the cards to the tune of a forty- 
pounder. And after a rattling fight of an hour or 
so he lands the old-timer, from which time on he 
never fails to tell the story, which, by the way, is a 
story worth being able to tell at that. 

The Maple Grove is located right on the divide, 
and while the waters of Lac Vieux Desert head for 
the Mississippi, the streams to the north and east 
rustle and gurgle along to the St. Lawrence. Brook- 
trout fishing in these north-bound streams is ideal, 
and a fellow should bring along his fly-rod for a cast 
at these swift scrappers. From Paint Creek, a short 
trail from the big lake, we brought back thirty brook- 
trout that tipped the scales just a tremble under four- 
teen pounds, which I might say Is some fine brook- 
trout fishing, an average near to the half-pound mark. 
And they were a sassy lot of tail-kickers, being in 
no way particular about the kind or style of fly that 
was tossed to them. They simply took it with a 
walloping punch. 

Dan Padnote, one of the Maple Grove guides, 



LEAVES FROM AN ANGLER'S DIARY 219 

tells a good one that bears repeating. Last season 
he guided a beginner who insisted on using a spoon 
with a spread of two and a half inches and a length 
of six inches. A spoon of this size is generally 
wished on a beginner by an overzealous tackle sales- 
man and never toted by a regular. Trolling over 
to the musky waters one day the big spoon hooked a 
thirty-two pounder and the next day a twenty-eight 
pounder fell for it. On leaving for home the be- 
ginner presented the big bunch of nickeled brass to 
Dan as a parting gift, and Dan says he dragged that 
spoon all around the lake for the rest of the season, 
raking up half the weeds in the lake and never got 
a strike. But that's the musky game. Sometime 
you get 'em and sometime otherwise, but when you 
do connect up with a full-grown musky from the 
cold water of Lac Vieux Desert, it's a fight worth 
while, a fight to the finish. 



BAIT-CASTING RODS 

The short bait-casting rod, that great little joy- 
bringer that put the fishing game on the map with 
a cap M, — in fact, popularized the sport of coaxing 
the gay tail-kickers out of their watery recesses, — 
made it a recreation that most anybody could kick 
into without growing gray-whiskered learning the 
art. Can the main bunch of us fellows of the com- 
mon herd ever thank it enough? 

After the long cane pole of the ruddy-cheeked, 
barefeet stage of our angling days it was quite a 
jump to the long, slender, fly-casting rod and many 
fellows slipped up on the effort and stuck to the 
still-fishing sport. When some one, the Lord only 
knows who (and, believe me, there are enough 
claimants, really so many that I have not the space 
to name 'em all), out in the mid-West section, in- 
vented the short rod for the snappy overhead cast. 
You see the grand old bass family sort of made their 
headquarters in the many lakes of Michigan, Wis- 
consin, and Minnesota, and the local boys were not 
getting the big ones that loafed in the weed-beds 
and pockets. The approach to these hangouts had 
to be made without advising the bass in advance and 



BAIT-CASTING RODS 221 

a fair to long cast was necessary to get the bait there 
from a distance. For this reason some old-time 
scout of the water-trails slipped his think-tank into 
high, pushed on the gas, and evolved the short bait- 
caster. Then probably, like a regular fisherman, 
he sneaked out and came home with a string of big 
ones just to show the rest of the gang what a won- 
derful fisherman he really was. 

But you cannot keep a good thing burled, so the 
bait-casting rod came into rapid popularity and along 
with it came the wooden baits and bucktail lures. 
The act of casting the bait with the short rod could 
be mastered in a few hours, although, of course, one 
could not becom;e particularly accurate in such a 
short time ; nevertheless, you could toss out the bait 
and reel it in, which carried enough of a thrill to in- 
terest you until practice brought perfection in placing 
and handling the lure where it would do the most 
good among the fish and his friends. 

Thanks can be offered up to the short bait-casting 
rod by many, many thousands of fishermen for in- 
teresting them in a sport that has made their days 
happier and their life longer. After having lamped 
the glow of satisfaction wreathing the face of a be- 
ginner at the game, after a few hours on the water, 
I lift up a little prayer of thanks to the gay old water- 
dog who thought out the short rod, and I also pass 
a bit of a growl on the hectic highbrow who is eter- 
nally damning this method of fishing as being more 



222 COIN' FISHIN' 

or less of a bore and not as high-class as what he 
calls the " high art of angling," namely, tossing the 
feathery fancies to the spotted tail-kickers. 

Fellows, the bait-tosser is just as much a fisher- 
man, or angler if you please, Mr. Highbrow, as any 
other fishing-fan, and to handle the bait-casting rod 
right is not child's play by a long shot. After be- 
coming a bit skilled in the art and using the hght 
whippy split-bamboo of say three or four ounces, 
landing the bronze backer or his big-mouthed cousin 
is some sport. Of course, a fellow starting into the 
game of bait-casting has no right to subject one of 
these real hght wooden rods to the sudden jerks of 
" buck fever " that are sure to mantle his fevered 
brow when the first few big ones swirl up in that 
pleasing curve and swipe the bait. A bit stiffer rod 
is better for the beginner, and it can be of either 
split bamboo, the solid woods, or steel, as his wishes 
indicate and his pocket-book allow. 

I feel that it is the loving duty of every follower 
of the lake and stream trails to encourage and assist 
any poor deluded mortal, who does not follow the 
sport of fishing, so that he becomes a devotee of this 
great national nature pastime that gives us all health, 
happiness, and pleasure, not to mention the oppor- 
tunities to stretch our imagination and veracity on 
the length of the ones that get away. And there is 
no easier way for the other fellow to get into the 
game than by wrapping his paws around the butt 



BAIT-CASTING RODS 223 

grip of a short bait-casting rod. As he develops in 
skill he naturally swings along into fly casting and 
enjoys that thrill producer, but never does he wholly 
give up his first love, the short rod. He does, how- 
ever, go in for finer tackle, as his skill makes the use 
of such tools a joy, and the keen sport of playing the 
fish on the light rod is real sport, be it the short 
rod or the ten-footer of the running stream or bub- 
bling brook. 

Taken every way from the jack split bamboo is 
the most consistent worker in the wooden rods, it is 
full of life and action, light and graceful, and it sure 
can toss out the plug, live bait, spoon, or most any 
lure that can be rigged and does it with little effort 
on the part of the caster. It has strength and pli- 
ancy and is the most resilient of the woods. 

In bait-casting many fellows have a bit of trouble 
casting the lighter lures, the spoon rigged with pork 
rind or minnow or the bass fly and light spinner. 
This trouble is generally in the tip, as the split bam- 
boo that is stiff enough to handle the heavier plugs 
has too much backbone and is not pliant or, in other 
words, is not whippy enough to speed out the light 
lures. For this reason a rod equipped with two tips, 
one light and pliant and the other a bit stiffer for 
the heavier plugs and lures, makes an ideal bait- 
caster. At the same time it is good pohcy to use a 
lighter line when casting the light lures, say a No. 
6 soft braided, and for the plugs you can go one 



224 COIN' FISHIN' 

point heavier and use a No. 5. Although after 
casting a bit you will find the No. 6 line the one 
you will probably tie to as the one best bet for most 
any kind of casting. 

Naturally, the one-piece rod is the real dinger of 
the split-bamboo family, either with the butt at- 
tached or with it detachable to make it easier to 
handle in traveling. Of all the fishing kit there is 
nothing more unhandy to tote around than a one- 
piece rod. It is eternally slipping in under the feet, 
poking the innocent bystander's eyebrow off, or flirt- 
ing with the porter's legs as he tries to amble up the 
aisle of the sleeper as you hit the steel for the far- 
away fishing waters. At the permanent camp where 
there is no chance of the one-piecer getting into trou- 
ble it is a joy unto itself. Once you feel the swing 
and whip of a one-piece rod, it is sure your pet, and 
you love it like a long-lost brother, swearing by it 
for the rest of your natural life and hopin' that you 
fish the Milky Way with one when you go to the 
happy hunting-grounds. 

The next best bet, and the rod most used, is the 
two-piece one designed with the long tip and short 
butt. This rod comes the nearest to retaining the 
resiliency and lively action of the one-piece rod, and 
the type of long-tip, short-butt rod is made commer- 
cially in the medium-priced rods more than the one- 
piece affair which generally runs higher up the price 
scale. The reason the rod of this style retains the 



BAIT-CASTING RODS 225 

whip of the single piece of bamboo is because the 
ferrule is set well below the middle of the rod and 
there is no stiffening ferrule up where the natural 
bend and curve comes when the game-fish pulls the 
arch in the rod that eventually kills him. It is nat- 
ural that the most strain on a rod would come above 
the center, up where the tip lightens off, and to 
weaken this end of the rod with a ferrule renders 
it more subject to breakage, especially when handled 
by the beginner, who is likely to play the rod at an 
angle that will make the pulling fish overstrain it. 

The real skill in handling a bait-casting rod is to 
make the pull or spring of the rod kill the fish and 
not merely reel him in so fast that you drown him. 
With the ferrule well below the center you get a 
natural unbroken curve to the tip, the strain is about 
equally distributed and this brings into play the 
lively action of the rod. The beginner in playing a 
fish will often try to hold the fish too short, with 
the result that the tip snaps. It is well to play the 
rod so that the fighting bass has a bit of a pull to 
take the line, and in so doing the rod swings to a 
natural curve that will soon tire the kicking lunker. 
As tire full enjoyment of landing a fish comes from 
the playing with the rod springing in a well-balanced 
curve, making it a case of give and take of the line, 
the two-piece rod will make the pleasure of landing 
your fish keener and more enjoyable. 

I am not quite sure, but I believe that the late 



226 COIN' FISHIN' 

Jim Heddon was the originator of the long-tip and 
short-butt style of rod in split bamboo. At least, 
way back when they first came into use I had one of 
the early ones. In cost me the great sum of $2.50, 
and many were the happy days that old rod gave 
me. Fact is, it is still almost as good as the day it 
came to me and it hangs in a place of honor in my 
cabinet at Timberedge. This fall I had it out for 
a little work, and it is surprising what fine action 
that old rod still has tied up in its system. 

It is odd how a fellow becomes attached to a rod, 
either because of the action and feel or through 
associations. While chinning with Claude Refner, 
the man who makes a rattling good floating bass bug, 
and who has turned out a lot of fine handmade rods 
in his short Hfetime, he told me of a little rod story 
that happened down on the Pleasant Lake chain in 
the northeastern end of Indiana, which, by the way, 
is a good piece of bass waters. Ref had dropped 
in on an old-time fisherman, down that way, Brad- 
ley by name, and standing in the corner was one of 
those old dollar-and-a-half one-piecers put out by 
Heddon. It had been worn some and needed a line 
of repair, and Claude carted it home to fix it up for 
the old man. He put in about ten bucks' worth of 
time on the rod, wrapped it well in vari-colored silks, 
and sent it back to Bradley, with his compliments, 
for the many days of pleasure he had spent on the 
waters with him. 



BAIT-CASTING RODS 227 

Dropping down for a bit of bassing the following 
season, the rod had the place of honor above the 
clock and the old man had hauled out another older 
one and was using that as his favorite. Would he 
take that dolled-up affair out and wet it? No, siree, 
boy, he just kept it at the cabin to whip about a bit 
in that dry air easy-chair fishing we all do once in 
awhile when we are far from the favorite lake or 
stream. That's the game, though, once you get a 
rod that has the feel, the hang of your arm, you 
just simply raise it a pet, and as far as borrowing it 
goes, good night ! let any one dare throw a cast with 
it but your own self. 

Getting back to the style of rods, the next we have 
is the three-piece affair, and if one cannot secure a 
two-piece rod then the three-piece would be the next 
choice. The main thing in its favor is that it packs 
easy and is handier to carry than the longer ones. 
You can slip this rod into most any suit-case and 
•forget it until you hit the water, but I am willing to 
go a little out of my way in handling a piece of tackle 
that I think will make the pleasure keener when on 
the water. Naturally, wherever you put a ferrule 
on a rod you cut out some of the action of the wood, 
but even so the three-piece rod is more active and 
stronger under a strain than the two-piece rod with 
the ferrule right in the center. 

To get the right balance and feel to a rod is the 
main thing to look for in making a selection. A rod 



228 COIN' FISHIN' 

that seems to have too much weight beyond the first 
guide and feels heavy or unwieldy is over-weighted 
for you and does not have even balance. Although 
few bait-casting rods are out of balance, if you do 
get one that is, it will be rather tiring on the wrist 
after you have whipped it a few hours. Taking up 
a few bait-casting rods and making the casting move- 
ment with them one after another will show you the 
difference in balance, while the one that seems to 
swing in an easy sweep with the wrist and in unison 
with the movement of the forearm is the rod that 
has the right feel and which should be your selec- 
tion for the best results at the casting game. 

In the matter of length to a bait-casting rod, this 
is usually a personal choice. Some of the fellows 
cotton to the real short four or four-and-a-half 
footer; I do not. You cannot get the right action 
in a real short -rod, and playing the fish is not half 
the sport that you get out of the longer rods. In 
length, I find that the five-foot rod gives me the best 
results for casting the plugs and heavier lures, while 
the five-and-a-half footer for the lures running 
around a half ounce and lighter just suits the swing 
of my arm, which is a short member at that. Even 
the six-footer for the spoons and spinners with pork 
rind or bass fly makes a rather fine tool for this 
style of bait. And you get far more action in play- 
ing the fish with the longer rod, it Is easier to learn 



BAIT-CASTING RODS 229 

to handle the fish with this style, and for all round 
good service a rod of five foot or over will fill the 
bin with more satisfaction than the real short ones. 



THE STEEL BAIT-CASTING ROD AND 
SOMETHING DIFFERENT 

As the split-bamboo of the woods is conceded the 
finest tool in the bait-casting rod line, being light, 
resilient, and active, so is the steel rod placed in the 
position of being the best rod for the beginner. 
The light split-bamboo rod is too fine a piece of kit 
to be given the rough handling a beginner generally 
is sure to give it, especially when he gets a strike and 
goes to pieces trying to drag the battling game-fin 
through the water, in order to drown him before 
the fish gets to the landing-net. And at that said 
beginner has a perfect right to shoot into high when 
he feels the swirling strike of the bass, pike, or musky 
on his early trips to the waterlands. And should he 
lamp the big one as he breaks water, usually the 
effort to draw him home to " uncle " is speeded up 
by the sight of the game one's plunge into the air. 

There is hardly a split-bamboo that will not break 
with a dead weight of five or six pounds, and on 
the strike of the live-wire of the weed-beds the rod 
is jerked back to an angle that puts too much pull 
on the light tip and a smashed rod is the result, 
before one realizes or becomes skilled enough in 

230 




Fishing this bass pool right below the riffles is just naturally pro- 
ductive of results. The bass like to feed on the minnows that 
battle the swifter waters of the riffs and then when tired out swim 
into the pool for a rest. Easy feeding for the bass and wall-eye pike 
and they know it. A live minnow is a rattling good bait here as is 
the helgramite. Just sort of toss the minnow out lightly and let it 
move a bit with the current. 




A tumbling little trout stream along which you can cast the fly with 
the overhead cast and not tangle up in the brush. You can fish 
this water all the way; it is good trout water. 



*C:i'-fc''' 



THE STEEL BAIT-CASTING ROD 231 

handling the rod to know that only a slight swing 
is necessary to set the hook and then the game is to 
let the fish take a bit of line, meanwhile holding the 
rod so that there is a slight curve in it which gives 
just enough pressure to make the game-fin pull a little 
for the line he takes and thus eventually tiring the 
fish instead of dislocating its jaw via the yanking 
process. 

Then, again, handling the bass in among the 
weeds, where they love to loaf, using the often 
necessary derricking movement to work him away 
from these pests to the fisherman and safety firsts 
of the fish, it takes quite a bit of skill on the part of 
the angler to handle the rod and come out of the 
fight with the split-bamboo in good shape. While 
with the steel bait-casting rod you can afford to der- 
rick or pump the fish out of the weeds without hav- 
ing an attack of heart-failure at the thought of the 
rod breaking, not to mention the escape of your 
prize on the business end of the line. From this, 
however, you must not get the idea that the steel 
rod is only good for rough work or that it should 
be subjected to any rougher handling than you must 
give it, as a good light steel rod, handled skilfully 
by an angler, produces a rattling fine piece of sport, 
and although slightly heavier than the split-bamboo 
rod of the same length, the difference in weight is 
not such that it is noticeable in a day's casting. 

Many fellows have started at the bait-casting 



232 COIN' FISHIN' 

game with a steel rod, and after many years of fish- 
ing continue to use that style of rod, and one reason, 
I believe, for this sticking to the steel is that this 
style of rod seldom, if ever, gets out of order, and 
if it should happen through accident that a break 
occurs, it is a simple matter to make a repair and go 
right on casting. There is one little old veteran 
steel rod that I know of up in the north woods that 
started its bait-casting days as a five-and-a-half footer 
some ten years ago. A number of breaks and acci- 
dents along the trails and streams have reduced this 
pet to a trifle below four feet overall, the guides 
have been resoldered a number of times, the enamel 
has passed away, and the rod looks like the tail end 
of a hard winter; yet this old pal of a rod made a 
31^-pound musky come up to the gaff without a 
quiver in its short length, and it's still good for 
many a cast. 

You can generally depend upon a steel rod being 
ready for use at any time and there is no need of 
revarnishing and winding it each season. About all 
that is necessary is to wipe it dry after each fishing 
trip, rub it over with an oiled rag, and lay it away 
until the next foray. That this is important, the 
drying of the steel rod, a thing that some fellows 
do not bother about simply because it is steel and 
they have the opinion that it should stand for any 
kind of treatment, was shown to me quite conclu- 
sively a few days ago. I had loaned a friend a rod 



THE STEEL BAIT-CASTING ROD 233 

last summer and during the week he developed a 
guilty conscience and returned it. I put the rod 
together, gave it a couple of whips to feel the action 
before standing it in the rack, when something 
snapped and it whipped with quite a wobble. On 
taking it apart I found that it had developed a rust 
spot above the second joint where the enamel had 
chipped a trifle, and this small spot had increased 
and eaten through the steel close to the ferrule, 
with the result that the rod broke when being dis- 
jointed. A little oil and a rag would have pre- 
vented this, as once a rust spot starts it will eat in 
deeper after each wetting. But such is the result 
of one loaning his tackle to a friend, stuff that he 
raises a pet, only to have it get a jolt through care- 
lessness of the one who borrows it. 

That the steel rod is popular with the ordinary 
fisherman as well as the beginner can be seen by a 
census of the rods being used on any of the north 
woods lakes. Here you will find more steel rods 
doing their bit than all other rods combined, and 
this is particularly so of the waters the big old musky 
or pike happen to grace with their presence. I have 
one Bristol steel rod that has been in my kit for 
slightly over fourteen years, and I have always 
looked on this rod as a piece of rod insurance. I 
invariably carry this rod into the hinterlands regard- 
less of what other rods I may take along, because 
I know that should the lighter ones become broken 



234 COIN' fISHIN' 

through carelessness or accident, that this old reliable 
will be there as an understudy. And when you 
smash a rod far enough away from the repair shop 
and a few days by Canoe or trail into the woods, 
believe me, friend, an old pet in the shape of a steel 
rod is sure a welcome sight. 

Usually the steel rod is of three-piece construction 
and of this style rod it is the best, as the ferrules 
do not interfere with the swing or action of the cast. 
The three-piece rod with separate grip is an easy 
rod to pack and an all round good worker. A rod 
of this style can be had in the heavier designs and 
also in the light whippy affair that has almost the 
feel of a wooden rod, yet plenty of backbone that 
will stand the strain of pumping them in out of the 
weeds if it looks like a sudden getaway of the game- 
fish. The four-piece, very short sections with sepa- 
rate butt, designed as a pocket rod, and a mighty 
handy tool to carry is built shghtly lighter than the 
three-piece rods and is a snappy casting rod. 

The adjustable telescopic steel bait-casting rod is 
a very handy specialty in the rod game, the rod tele- 
scoping from the smaller tip down, and as the butt 
grip is detachable it makes a very good rod to pack 
along as the emergency rod. This rod can be ad- 
justed from five and a half feet down, and the sec- 
tions are locked at the desired length by patented 
guides. You can use it as a five-and-a-half footer 
for the lighter spinners and pork rind when all the 



THE STEEL BAIT-CASTING ROD 235 

whip of the rod is found useful in helping cast out 
these light lures, or you can lower it down to five 
feet, reduce the whippiness a trifle, and have a good 
caster for the heavier plugs and lures, while run- 
ning it down to three or four feet makes an ideal 
trolling rod. This rod comes nearer to being the 
real emergency and all-round rod of the bait caster 
and is a fine light caster that will stand the gaff of 
most any kind of handling. 

When it comes to class and style in the steel-rod 
family, and one that kicks right up front as a nifty 
affair, you gotta get acquainted with the all-silk 
wound fellow that looks so much like a split-bamboo 
that you would take it for that rod's twin sister. 
After putting in a few days casting with one of these 
" good-lookers " I came to the conclusion that the 
all-silk wound steel rod becomes more resilient and 
has more whip after it is wound with the silk; it 
seems to take on more of the action of the rods of 
wood. A couple of years ago I sent an old used 
steel rod, that had brought many game ones to gaff, 
to W. H. Tallett, of Watertown, N. Y., who winds 
any old steel rod with silk and makes it look like a 
million dollars. When that rod came back and I 
felt the whip and action of it on a few casting bouts, 
I found that this old rod about ready to go home 
to its last resting-place had come back with a snap 
and feel to it that was almost impossible to believe. 
Since then I have had a number of old rods brought 



236 COIN' FISHIN' 

up-to-date, and I find even the lighter ones retain 
wonderful action and that they are practically in- 
destructible. The silk is waterproof and varnished 
the same as the wooden rods, and besides the classy 
appearance the all-wound rod makes, I know of no 
rod that is stronger or more sturdy and one that re- 
tains action and life, than a rod of this kind. 

The requirements of a casting rod are strength, 
lightness, and casting power. It must have back- 
bone enough to make long casts with precision, yet 
have whip enough to place the short cast with ease 
and accuracy. This is a combination you will usu- 
ally find in a good steel rod, and it makes fishing a 
pleasure to find the rod that will do the most things 
the best way, particularly if you happen to be a be- 
ginner at the sport. 

Although the steel rod is naturally a stronger tool 
than the rods of wood, some fellows make the mis- 
take of handling it roughly, and for this reason it 
was only until recent years that a rod-maker would 
take a chance on his reputation and turn out a real 
light steel rod. Now you can get a steel rod that is 
light and fine and one that any angler would be glad 
to use. 

Any rod should be handled with as much skill as 
the caster has acquired, and playing the fish right 
with a light steel rod calls for just as fine handhng 
as one would give to the wooden rods. This is not 
only good medicine for the rod, but it develops the 



THE STEEL BAIT-CASTING ROD 237 

skill of the angler and tends to make him depend 
upon his handling of the rod and not the strength 
of the rod itself, not to mention the added sport he 
gets out of the game by giving the fish half a chance 
for his white alley. 

During the past few years I have had a wonderful 
bit of fun out of a somewhat different kind of a rod, 
and the game has been so full of sport and pleasure 
that I feel like a rather selfish sort of a yap to keep it 
buried. 

This something different in the rod line is made of 
Spanish rattan and besides the two rods that I have, 
I do not know of more than three others of the same 
material in the country. I am not the discoverer 
of this wood for bait-casting rods, by the way, in 
fact, I dropped on to it entirely by accident while 
talking over the fishing game a few years ago with 
Charley Sweder, of Chicago, one of the keenest old- 
time fishermen of the mid-West waters and who 
knows and has fished during the past fifty years 
more of the lakes and streams of the north woods 
than probably any other angler. Charley was a per- 
sonal friend and fishing pal of the late Frank For- 
ester, famous throughout the land as the father of 
the angling game. 

A couple years before the big war broke loose 
over on the other side a salesman, for an English 
whip concern, making the West, dropped a bit off 
his feed while hitting the high spots in Chicago, and 



238 COIN' FISHIN' 

needing the help of a physician, and a good one, he 
wandered into the office of Dr. C. H. Bryan out at 
43d and Indiana Avenue. The Doc rolled up his 
sleeves, gave him the once over and everything but 
his diploma, which put the visitor right up on his 
toes. The salesman was so tickled at being able to 
once again demolish his regular portion of roast beef, 
that he called on Dr. Bryan to pay his respects be- 
fore hitting the trail for home, but this time he 
caught the medico unawares while he was winding a 
new rod for a foray on the unsuspecting bass fam- 
ily. It happened the Doctor was a regular fishing- 
fan and would rather go fishing any day than look 
down your throat, feel your pulse, get a wireless mes- 
sage from your heart via the stethoscope, or just 
feed you pills, and seeing the Doc was some inter- 
ested in the game the salesman suggested that he 
send him a piece of Spanish rattan when he got back 
in dear old England and to try that out as a rod 
wood. 

About six months later Dr. Bryan received a stick 
of this wood through the custom-house and rounded 
up Charley Sweder to make it into a bait-casting rod, 
as his own time was fully taken up with patients who 
really needed a fishing trip more than a shot of med- 
icine, as no doubt the good doctor will agree. The 
rod turned out to be a rattling good one, it weighed 
only six and a half ounces, although it appeared a 
good deal heavier and the whip it had was a sight 



THE STEEL BAIT-CASTING ROD 239 

to see. In making the first few casts, before get- 
ting on to the hang of handling it, the rod shot the 
bait out in front a little and then the backward swish 
was so quick on the return that the bait came right 
along and landed behind the boat. And on the first 
strike, the rod was so limber that it bent almost 
double, with the result that the strike in setting the 
hook answered so feebly that the points merely 
tickled the mouth of the bass and away he tailed. 

After getting the lay of the rod the Doc not only 
found it a rather good one, but also that it was a 
gold mine in the trick rod line. It became quite a 
thing to give it to a fishing pal who was not ac- 
quainted with its peculiarities and lay back in the 
boat and enjoy the show as the friend made a few 
passes with it and then began to swear. 

As soon as I got on the trail of this rod, I started 
on the still hunt for a piece of Spanish rattan, but 
failed to find the raw wood until, one day while 
browsing around with Charley Sweder, we located 
a number of English coach whips, the stick of which 
is made of Spanish rattan, and very shortly after- 
ward I had one of these limber rods in my kit and 
hit the steel for Timberedge Lodge, to try it out on 
the bass, musky, and pike of the waters thereabouts. 

It took just a bit of practice before I could toss a 
well-delivered bait with this rod, it being so wil- 
lowy and full of action. But, say, lad, when the 
fighting musky happened to connect up with the 



240 COIN' FISHIN' 

bait on the off-end of this rod, it sure was a rather 
exciting fight and then some. After the first strike, 
and when I had almost yanked my arm off to 
set the hook, the game old bird made a run and 
then, fellows, was the first time that I actually 
had a fish " bend the rod double " in every sense 
of the word. Holding the rod with the butt 
grip at an angle of forty-five degrees slant back- 
wards, that old game-one sure made the line sing 
and the rod curve until the tip almost touched the 
butt. It was a fight worth while and one that I 
remember more vividly than any other, that first big 
musky landed with this new rod. 

The rod of Spanish rattan is an easy one to make 
for the fellow who likes to make some of his own 
rods. First, of course, you must locate a piece of 
rattan, then all you do is smooth it down a bit and 
wind it according to your own likes, varnishing it the 
same as a split-bamboo or any other wood. To 
stiffen it a trifle, if you happen to land a real whippy 
piece of rattan, you simply wind the rod entirely with 
the spiral style of winding. This will give it more 
backbone and make a dandy caster of it. My second 
rod of this wood is wound with the spiral windings 
and is far better as a regular casting rod than the first 
one on which the wrappings are spaced about 2^ 
inches, beginning at the butt and graduating a little 
closer on each wrap toward the top. The rod had 
the best action when made as a one-piecer, or with a 



THE STEEL BAIT-CASTING ROD 241 

long tip one-piecer with separate butt, although no 
doubt a very good rod could be made with a long- 
tip and short-butt design like the popular split-bam- 
boo, made famous by Jim Heddon. 

Coming down to cases again on the steel rod, after 
running amuck on the Spanish rattan, for a small in- 
vestment you can get a right good steel bait-caster, 
and one that will give you many years of service; 
that is, if you buy one that carries a good square 
name behind it. Dollar for dollar in the lower- 
priced rods, the beginner can get more value in a 
steel rod than in the woods, as a wooden rod at the 
same price one pays for a good steel rod will natur- 
ally have to be one of the lower-priced rods in that 
style. 

For night-fishing the steel rod is a winner. Then 
you need a rod that you can work without fear, 
and there is not much chance to use as much skill 
as in daylight work, and skill in handling means the 
very life of a split-bamboo. For the emergency rod 
the steel gives you a comforting knowledge that no 
matter what happens far away from the home port, 
you have an understudy on hand to take the place of 
the star when the time comes. All the way around 
the steel rod is one that will be found handy and 
useful to any angler, whether he happens to be a be- 
ginner or one of the old-timers. 



THE OUTBOARD MOTOR IN FISHING 

GETS YOU THERE AND BACK AGAIN WITHOUT BREAK- 
ING YOUR BACK 

Way back in the dim and dusty past, when Rags 
was a purp and my main run of wisdom teeth were 
just about in the hatch, I prided myself on doing the 
outdoors via the hardship route. " Roughing it " 
was my main squeel and I sure treated my system to 
a regular diet of making a trip with a blanket, a 
tarp, a pan or two, and such light equipment, and 
you can take it or leave it, when I look back over 
some of those trips up among the Blue Ridge Moun- 
tains, I wonder how I did it without developing 
everything from house-maid's knee to a life-long love 
for Peruna. Long were the trails by day and hard 
were the beds at night, not to mention the long tire- 
some pulls up some of the streams and lakes, when 
you thought your back was due for a break on the 
next stroke of the oars. In those old roughing-it 
days, I just had to show an old granddad, who was 
ninety-two and past, and who could knock a squirrel 
out of a tall hickory with his long Kentucky rifle as 
clean cut as any of the younger fry, that none of the 
long-gone Indians had anything on me in the way of 

242 



THE OUTBOARD MOTOR IN FISHING 243 

standing torture. This keen old forebear was eter- 
nally telling me of the wonderful endurance of the 
Indians and how they made the trails with nothing 
but a powder-and-bullet pouch and a blanket. 

Since those early days trying to lay one over on 
the Indian, I have learned many things: that you 
can sleep on a pile of rocks and feel comfy if you 
happen to have the right bed; that the waterproof 
tent of light sail-cloth keeps the rain in the right 
place, on the outside, and oh, boy! that great Httle 
boon to the outdoorsman, the outboard motor will 
make your water work as easy as playing the little 
game o' seven-up at the evening camp-fire. 

Just as the auto has been such a great little ma- 
chine to bring the lakes and streams, fields and trails, 
closer to the fellow who lives in the cities and towns, 
so has the outboard motor been the little pal that 
has brought the far reaches of the waters to us. 
And the beauty of the outboard motor is that it is 
not a bit complicated, nor is it a difficult thing to 
learn to run. I never have had an itching palm for 
a screw-driver and a monkey-wrench to take every- 
thing apart to see what makes the " thing-ga-majig " 
mesh with the " doo-dad," and because the men who 
planned the outboard motor designed a machine that 
is about as fool-proof as you can get a machine, I 
have never had the least trouble with a fleet of five 
different kickers located in different parts of the coun- 
try where they will do me the most good. I just 



244 COIN' FISHIN' 

have to start 'em and they go, go anywhere I want 
'em to, and I sit back as lazy as can be and hit 
the old Henry Clay, thanking the keen fellows, who 
thought 'em out, for making any fishing and hunt- 
ing trips so pleasant. 

I have an outboard at my head-camp, Timberedge 
Lodge up in northern Wisconsin, and that little old 
joy-throbber has been fooled with by perhaps two 
hundred different people, treated somewhat rough at 
times and by some of the gang whose knowledge of 
machinery is limited to the works of a watch, yet, 
when you give it the juice it throbs right along and 
takes you up the chain o' lakes without a murmur. 
Although this kicker has not been raised a pet by 
any means, it is always on the job and willing to speed 
along merrily whenever needed. And it always 
brings the crowd back. 

Not only do I recall the many days of pleasure on 
lake and stream that can be credited to my outboard 
motor, because it got me there without my breaking 
my back at the oars or paddle, to reach far fishing 
waters and reach them as the sun tipped the eastern 
horizon, just when the game-ones were eager for 
the feed, but some five years ago this outboard o' 
mine saved the life of a pal with whom I was shoot- 
ing partridge up Wisconsin way. And for this help 
in an emergency I lay another good word for this 
little machine. 

Three of us were covering a tote-road along a 



THE OUTBOARD MOTOR IN FISHING 245 

piece of cut-over : Mac, as keen an outer as ever fol- 
lowed a trail; Dave, a youngster new at the wood's 
game, but keen to learn the wonders of the outdoors, 
although a little nervous on the trigger finger, — in 
fact, a bit short on the " look-see " stunt before you 
shoot, — and myself. We were covering a fine 
stretch of bird country and had bagged a few nice 
ones, with the usual misses chalked up against us. 
You know, fellows, the misses that happen to a chap 
hunting these clever speedy wild ones, but seldom 
happening to the front-porch specie of hunter. 

Mac had the kid in tow and had flushed a nice 
pair to the left of the road and they had winged it 
off toward a ridge. Giving the kid the high sign 
to follow the flight of the birds, Mac circled over to 
flush them so that the youngster could even up his 
bag, as a northeaster had started to blow and we 
were to head back for the boat as soon as the kid 
could get this chance for a last shot. Mac had not 
gone more than ninety feet when, with a whirr, two 
birds raised right in front of him and the kid threw 
up his gun and gave 'em both barrels, right straight 
for good old Mac. 

Somehow, we got Mac down to the boat, the kid 
being practically useless as an assistant, his nerves 
busting when he saw what his shooting without 
thought had done. And say, lads, that little old out- 
board motor carried us down along ten miles of wind- 
tossed, white-capped lake and stream waters like a 



246 COIN' FISHIN' 

thoroughbred. Ci*:)ssing some of the wide open 
stretches where the nor'easter played merry hell 
with the water, it looked like a short shift for all of 
us a number of times, but the steady kicking of " li'le 
Joe," our pet name for the motor, carried us head-on 
through the big ones. And, believe me, with Mac's 
head and shoulders on my lap trying to ease up the 
ride for the good old scout and only one hand to 
steer, as well as attend to the motor, 1 was sure glad 
that it worked " on its own " and needed hardly any 
attention. 

Later, in the hospital at Ashland, the medico said, 
speed in getting Mac to where he could have proper 
attention had saved his life, and this after, the old 
cut-up had taken 286 shot out of his side and arm, 
not to mention three from the case of his watch. 
We had just made the railroad twenty minutes be- 
fore the last train north was due, flagged it, and rode 
the baggage to Ashland, Mac in the meantime hav- 
ing slipped into semi-unconsciousness, remarking that 
the water was sure getting rougher, which only goes 
to show that we were on " some " railroad. 

Besides the regular uses of the outboard motor, 
which are legion, you never can tell when it will save 
the day by doing something just a little out of the 
ordinary. I am the happy possessor of a thirty- 
foot cruiser, the " Dixie-Rose," with which I have 
had keen sport on the inland rivers and lakes. It 
carries a 12 h. p. Waterman engine that has always 



THE OUTBOARD MOTOR IN FISHING 247 

treated me as a perfect gentleman, no matter how 
I manipulate it. And it carries the " D.-l^." along 
at a merry pace, towing a short stubby dory for fish- 
ing trips in the coves and inlets beyond her draft. 

Last summer the kid brother dropped in on me 
with a ten days' furlough from the Navy, and wish- 
ing to show him all I knew about deep sea-water 
work, I took him up to the Georgian Bay waters on 
the " Dixie-Rose." It happened that the kid had 
done a stretch on one of those sharp knife-like sub- 
marine chasers, and before we started nothing would 
do but that he overhaul the engine, fix 'er compres- 
sion, put in new packing, and do a lot of things to 
the poor old girl that I never knew a perfectly good 
engine would stand for. He probably got most of 
the innards back in the right place, because we ran 
along for three days without a cough; then, in among 
the many bays of the Georgian waters, she threw up 
the sponge and quit — and quit cold at that. After 
spending half a day doing everything but blowing 
up the gas-tank the kid admitted he didn't know a 
darned thing about an engine, but wanted to get a 
bit of practice to land a higher rating in the Navy. 

Once more the outboard does its bit. I carry one 
stuck back under the aft deck to kick the dory along 
up the small streams and shallow bays, so I hauled 
it out, hung it over the side and the kicker brought 
us into the nearest port, just as proud as a peacock. 
You can't beat 'em, they do what they are originally 



248 _ COIN' FISHIN' 

intended to do and many other big jobs when you 
are in a pinch for a bit of a lift. 

Easy to carry and easy to pack, they put so much 
joy in the water-game that a fellow is sure foolish 
not to take one along. Who in the outfit likes to 
get up at three A. M. with the prospect of a three 
or four miles' row to the fishing-grounds down at the 
other end of the lake? By the time you get there 
you are in a devil of a humor and poor company 
to the pal, with the chances that you have missed 
a good hour's fishing just when the fishin' is at its 
best. And then again, if you want to take a shot at 
the little lake up the channel a few miles, you don't 
find it necessary to use up a whole day to go and 
return; fact is, you can slip up there, fish the best 
waters, and be back in a couple hours with the help 
of the outboard. And all the way through there is 
no keener sport than to kick out before breakfast, 
land a couple nice ones, and bring back the break- 
fast before the rest of the gang are out of the hay. 
And, great guns ! no more arguments on who takes 
the oars while the other fellows cast; just let her 
limp along slow and easy. 

There are a lot of fellows who chirp about the 
exhilarating exercise of the row to the duck-blind 
in the early A. M.^ but most of my duck-hunting is 
done when the mornings are rather cold and chill, 
and a good, long stiff row out to a blind makes you 
start far earlier than necessary and does anything 



THE OUTBOARD MOTOR IN FISHING 249 

but add to the pleasant disposition you usually start 
out with. I Hke to smooth the game as much as pos- 
sible, so I hang on the outboard, give it a turn, and 
chug along to the shooting-grounds in a short spurt, 
get a few, or miss a few, and come chugging back 
for a bit of kitchen gossip with the guy who makes 
the chow. 

As I said before, any one can run one of these 
little useful fellows, even I can manipulate one with- 
out a hitch, and mechanical ability is one of my bad 
friends. It must be the fact that there is so much 
solid comfort in lounging back in the boat without a 
hip-stitch of work to do, in order to cover a ten-mile 
stretch of water, that makes these motors come nat- 
ural to a fellow who don't know the ace from the 
jack in the motor-game. I have had fellows up at 
my place who never saw an outboard motor, send 
them down to the boat, and after sitting looking at 
the machine for a minute or two, they cross their 
fingers, give it a twist, say a few words of magic, 
and away they go, looking as all-fired proud as 
though they had invented the darned thing. 

What made a big hit with me in the outboard- 
motor game was that they got you there and back 
again, and even some of the old-time models that I 
have had for six and eight years run just as smooth 
and are just as reliable as the day I took them out 
of the shipping-case. They have to be made right 
to pass through a life like they lead from my semi- 



250 COIN' FISHIN' 

mechanical handling, and now the later models come 
along with all kinds of added improvements that 
make my old pals look like " also rans." 

If it came to a show down and I had to split my 
outfit on account of excess weight and bulk, there are 
lots of things I would leave out and get along with- 
out before I would leave behind my outboard motor. 
Not because I am particularly lazy and like to be 
pushed along without exertion, but for the simple 
reason that the outboard motor can do so many 
things, save so much valuable time in the outlands 
where every minute counts, and do so much of the 
unnecessary hard work that I just must tote it along 
for its value. 



FOOTWEAR FOR THE OUTDOORS 

GIVING THE FEET A CHANCE, OR THE KICKS THAT 
MAKE US HAPPY 

Sometime back in the musty past, when Napoleon 
was hitting the trails over Europe, history tells us 
that this wise bird of his day said that an army 
travels on its stomach. This may be one of the 
essentials of the traveling end of an army, but I 
think that my old friend Sergeant Buck Stehle, late 
with the colors, " somewhere in France," had a bit 
more of the right idea when he said, " Our old pal 
Nap may have been right in his time on what the 
army travels on, but for me, I'll take a chance on 
feeding my squad off the country if you'll fit 'em 
right in the shoe end, and they will travel better 
and farther than Napoleon's men at that." 

And fitting the foot right will keep you on your 
feet while the other fellow nurses a nice collection 
of blisters caused by too tight a shoe, one that does 
not lace snug across the instep, or a loose fit in the 
heel which allows a wobbling move that can wear 
a blister quicker than any other mis-fit. The shoe 
is without doubt the most important part of the kit 
and particularly for the fellow who has been kick- 

251 



252 COIN' FISHIN' 

Ing around the civilized trails of the city the greater 
part of the year In light shoes. 

During those hibernating months in the city there 
is one great Httle treat for the feet that has the rest 
of the shoe family backed off the boards, and that 
is the Munson Last Army Shoe. Most fellows 
think of this shoe as only for use on the hike In the 
woods, and such was my opinion up to six years 
ago, when I first became acquainted with this wonder 
worker for tired feet. I had taken a pair of Army 
Shoes Into the woods on a trip of three weeks and 
found them so delightfully pleasant that I bought 
another pair on my return from this trip, and have 
since been wearing the Munson Last right along. 
And you can take it from me, " fellers," that when 
it is necessary for me to slip my peds Into a pair 
of fancy pumps for a night affair to please Friend 
Wife, I feel like I am parting with a pair of pals 
in my Army shoes. 

These shoes do wonders for the feet; they give 
the toes a spread that is comfy itself, and when you 
walk you get a press with the toes that seems to give 
you a grip on the ground that no other shoe except 
a moccasin will produce. After wearing these shoes 
for about three months I noticed that the foot had 
again taken on the normal shape after years of 
crowding and squeezing towards a pointed shape 
produced by the standard styles of the day. There 
was good breathing space between the toes, in fact, 



FOOTWEAR FOR THE OUTDOORS 253 

the space between the large toe and the next one to 
it was about an eighth of an inch. The inside of 
the Munson Last is straight according to the correct 
shape of the foot, and the shoe fits snugly up under 
the instep. 

The shape of a shoe, of course, is not all of a 
shoe, by -any means, although it is very important 
and the basis upon which a correct fit can be made. 
Other points to consider are fit, ventilation, cleanli- 
ness, and socks, all of which must be considered in 
keeping the feet right and free from trouble. And 
a shoe that is the best ever for one kind of travel 
may not be at all suitable for some other bit of hik- 
ing. 

The army shoe is a good all-round shoe for ordi- 
nary hiking and for the stay at a fishing-camp where 
the going will not be of the roughest, but it is a bit 
light for the rougher trips of the mountain country. 
Worn with canvas leggins it is an ideal walker for 
the North Woods, and bobbed with small Hun- 
garian rounded hobs, makes them a better proposi- 
tion for general use in the woods. The usual thing 
in bobbing a shoe is to use too many hobs, which 
has a tendency to stiffen up a sole and also make them 
pick up stuff under-foot. These cone-shaped Hun- 
garian hobs quickly wear off on the point, but still 
bite well as they retain a good edge and do not flatten 
as quickly as the corrugated hobs which slip easier 
on the rocks than the others. 



254 COIN' FISHIN' 

The army heads figure that waterproofed shoes 
were not the right thing for the soldier because the 
closing of the pores in the leather cuts out the ven- 
tilation and causes the feet to perspire and steam, 
especially if worn in warm weather. However, for 
the shoe worn in the woods in all kinds of weather, 
in a bit of snow, through the swamp lands or when 
J. Pluvius is doing his best for the crops and the 
worst for the sportsman, then a waterproofed shoe 
certainly makes the going more comfortable. Of 
course, a waterproofed shoe will only stay water- 
proofed as long as the oil or composition remains in 
the pores of the leather. No shoe is absolutely 
water-proof for all times, and it will be necessary 
to put on a preparation every now and then as the 
shoes demand it. To get the best results the dope 
must be well rubbed and worked into the leather by 
the hands. Even at that a waterproofed shoe allows 
the air to work into the feet, which keeps such a shoe 
from becoming uncomfortable and unhealthy. As 
a matter of fact, all that should be required of a 
shoe is that it shed water under tramping conditions 
and not be expected to be used for continual wad- 
ing in water without letting the feet become wet. 

However, for general hiking during the warm 
weather, I prefer the army shoe without any water- 
proofing at all. Wetting the feet will cause no in- 
convenience and as long as you keep on walking 
until they dry, or take them off and change socks and 



FOOTWEAR FOR THE OUTDOORS 255 

shoes when you reach camp, you will not line up 
with a cold. To dry out the shoes, simply turn 
them upside down and hang them on a couple of 
stakes driven into the ground near the fire, keeping 
them far enough away so that they will not burn, 
as wet leather sure burns quickly, or rather scorches 
so that the leather is very weak thereafter. And it 
is surprising, too, how easily the darned things will 
scorch. Which reminds me that a very good pal, 
on a trip last summer, had a rough bit of walking on 
the return ten miles from an overnight side trip 
to a lake which we had made from our camp. We 
had packed light with no extra footwear for such a 
short stay, and the pal tried to dry out his shoes 
via the rapid route. He scorched the leather hand- 
somely, at least the aroma thereabouts sure was 
heavy with burning leather. About a mile down the 
trail, which was none too clean, as it ran through 
burnt over and was little used, the pal's shoes started 
to break through in spots and by the time we made 
about five miles nearly everything was gone but the 
soles. With a little ingenuity we doped up a sort 
of a sandal with the remains and a few thongs from 
the pack, and the way Pal gingerly made the rest of 
the trail was a wonderful piece of footwork which 
would have done credit to the flopping shoes of a 
Chinaman. 

For the canoe trip you gotta pace some to beat 
the moccasin, and my preference is for the soft buck- 



256 COIN' FISHIN' 

skin about eight inches high; if the portages are few 
and not so rough this moccasin will be about right 
for the entire trip, and you do not have to carry a 
heavy shoe with you as an extra for the carry over 
the portages. Although if the carries are long 
and rough and they come a-plenty, then an extra 
pair of soled mocs will be handy and save the ankles 
and feet. 

For the fellow who gets about one real trip into 
the woods after many, many moons in the city, I do 
not feel like recommending the moccasin without the 
sole, where much walking is in order, for the reason 
that the feet are not in condition for the roughing 
it that will surely come to them if they use the soft 
moccasin. That is if this moc is to be the main 
footwear during the trip ; on such a trip I would say 
make it a pair of the regular soft buck-skins for the 
canoe-work and the soled mocs for the hiking. 

For general use around the camp after a husky 
day on the trail, changing the feet into a nice soft 
pair of moccasins is the end of a perfect day, and 
they are a mighty handy thing to slip on when you 
have to fix up the fire at night. For the fellow who 
can stand the wearing of the soleless moccasin and 
like 'em, they are a delight. He goes lightly over 
the ground and ends up the trail at night with pep 
and high spirits. For the low moccasin on the slip- 
per order, that fastens with a thong passing around 
the top, I cannot say much, as I prefer a top of some 



FOOTWEAR FOR THE OUTDOORS 257 

kind on all footwear as a bit of support to the ankles. 
For snow-shoeing I have used the soled moccasin 
or mocpac, and with a light pair of woolen socks next 
to the feet and two pairs of lumberman's socks I 
have found them very good, but of recent years I 
have used the hunting-boot with rubber bottoms and 
leather uppers. This style of boot makes an ideal 
piece of foot-gear for the snow-shoe, and I like it so 
much better than the mocs for this style of traveling 
that I use these entirely now. Some fellows object 
to the rubber bottoms as being bad medicine for the 
feet, but in the winter, with arched inner-soles and 
three pairs of socks, believe me, you never suffer from 
cold feet no matter how long the trail. These rub- 
ber bottoms have the advantage over the oiled 
leather boots for winter use in that they do not freeze 
stiff like the all-leather shoes. This style of boot 
is a crackerjack for still-hunting and can be used 
over bare ground or through the snow. With the 
innersole of leather or fiber, or preferably the arched 
innersole, and plenty of woolen socks you have warm 
going in the coldest weather. Shoes with rubber 
bottoms or soles should be changed at once when 
you hit the camp, and you will then find that they 
do not have the tendency to tender up the feet, as 
has been charged against them. 

Another shoe in the rubber-sole line that makes 
a handy piece of footwear for around the camp is 
the ordinary sneaker of canvas. This shoe is also 



258 COIN' FISHIN' 

handy for fishing in the canoe or boat, although not 
preferable to the moccasin on long trips. A pair 
of either will be found right for ordinary camp use. 

The all-leather boot with the high top has ad- 
vantages and disadvantages chalked up against it. 
The main thing is to get a hunting-boot that is not 
too heavy, as the added weight to be lifted on each 
foot counts up to a nice total in a day's hunt of from 
fifteen to twenty miles. For mountain work and 
hiding, the high-top boot is a very good piece of kit 
and can be used up to the fifteen-inch height without 
causing trouble. In rough going in the uplands, the 
high-top, caulked, will get you over the ground lots 
of times where other shoes will wear the feet to a 
fare-you-well. Much has been said of the high-top 
hunting-boot being the father of blisters. A lot of 
this blister stuff is caused by a boot that does not 
fit in the first place, and most any shoe that does not 
fit will coax blisters. If you get a snug fit around 
the heel and around the instep, with enough space 
in front that the toes do not rub and wear, the hunt- 
ing-boot should not cause any more blisters than any 
ordinary shoe. In ordering a boot, space should be 
allowed for two to three pairs of socks, as a snug fit 
over one pair of light socks will tighten the boot too 
much when you get agoing with the right amount 
of sockage on the trail. 

One very important thing in the high-top boot is 
to keep the leather soft and pliable by rubbing them 



FOOTWEAR FOR THE OUTDOORS 259 

often with oil, and a boot so treated will not harden 
and become stiff. 

I have a pair of sixteen-inch high-toppers of good 
heavy leather, yet they are as soft and pliable as a 
kid glove. This pair of high-toppers stand out as 
an example of what can be accomplished with a pair 
of hunting-boots that really fit the foot. This fall 
these boots were worn on a trip through the Rockies 
that covered 260 miles of hiking over trails, through 
timber and rough going found in the mountains. 
Through a period of twenty-one days, during which 
time they were worn, only one small blister was de- 
veloped, and that one was immediately discouraged 
by the application of a small piece of adhesive tape. 
In the matter of socks worn with this pair of boots, 
one pair of closely woven woolen socks were next 
to the feet, and over these socks were drawn two 
pair of lumbermen's woolen socks. The start was 
originally made with one pair of lumberman's socks, 
but on the appearance of the first blister the other 
pair was added and no further trouble was had dur- 
ing the entire trip. Many streams were waded, but 
the fact that the boots were dubbed regularly made 
them keep the water on the outside, not only in the 
streams, but also through the snow and the hiking 
during the wet days. 

What suits one fellow in the shoe line may be a 
Jonah to his pardner, and the one best bet in shoe- 
ing yourself is to select what is right and comfort- 



26o COIN' FISHIN' 

able on your own feet. Coming along about half- 
way between the light moccasins and the heavy 
hunting-boots we have a layout that about strikes 
the general average for most feet, in combining 
some of the fine feel of the moccasin and the pro- 
tection of the high boot. This is the popular cruiser 
style of shoe-pac, or larrigan, as it is termed by the 
north woodsman. The larrigan is made of oil- 
tanned leather shaped like a moc with the added 
value of a sole and heel which comes with tops all 
the way up to i8 inches. The sole is in a way flex- 
ible, and the larrigan is more pliable and softer on 
the feet than the ordinary shoe. The seams are on 
top where there is less strain, and as long as you 
keep them well oiled the shoe-pac is water-proof. 
For the wet swampy going that you will often find 
in the North Woods they are great, and as footgear 
for still-hunting they are fine medicine. 

For the heavy boys in the clan, the larrigan Is 
right; after trying out the moccasin without a sole 
and becoming friendly to its soft feel, but cussing 
it for the sore feeling to the under part of the feet, 
if the heavy-weights will slip their feet into a pair 
of larrigans, they will swear by that style shoe the 
balance of their out-door days. 

The wearing of high-top boots or pacs seems to 
worry some people an awful lot, most of the advice 
being to get an eight or ten inch top and then wear a 



FOOTWEAR FOR THE OUTDOORS 261 

leggln with this size. I have never had any bother 
with the high-toppers, and on an ordinary trip of 
two or three weeks they will not be worn so steadily 
that they will cause any discomfort or foot trouble. 
Get 'em high enough to suit your own desires and 
why bother with a pair of leggins when you can get 
them right on the shoe or pac. If you are going to 
do a bit of hiking through burnt over or slashings 
with all the windfalls and small brush purposely 
blown in your path by the winds that be, you will 
find the high-tops mighty good protection without 
any of the openwork of the leggins in which to gather 
every upstanding snag in the timber. The main 
thing is to keep 'em soft and pliant and not get them 
any heavier than you feel that you can lift around 
in a day's going. 

The big thing is to get good quality materials 
in your footwear; the best is what you should look 
for; get them a bit large to accommodate the pair of 
thin woolen socks and the extra pair of lumberman's 
socks; be sure and have them fit particularly close 
up to the instep and around the heel and to keep 
them in good shape, soft and pliant by working oil or 
grease well into the leather. 

And as a safety first, carry along a little strip of 
adhesive tape to paste over the first blister, and, by 
the way, old-timer, don't cut the top of the blister 
to let out the water, but make a small incision right 



262 COIN' FISHIN' 

outside of the raised blister and work in under with- 
out breaking the skin. The water will come out 
and the top of the blister remain unbroken, to heal 
up quickly without rubbing sore. 




O t^ w 


"^•5 


— i_) "*~^ 


I.S.S 


Ul 




OT a^ 




^ — ' u 


""^X! 


i^- 


^:^^ 

u o 


-C " L. 


■u <U lU 


^•^:2 


c 3 a 


CO '/■> 


o 


ter, 
f th 
the 


f? ri ^ 
> ° O 


"^ 4-J CO 


0)1- 


X CO M 


" " O 


U J_) .M 


(U M 


■i t- w 


^^■^ 


-BH-g 


CO -s 


/ a sh 
hin". 
er-poi 
Isam. 


:s c/) 4-1 CO 


2^ ^^ 


X CO 313 


*" o 7S 


« OJD CO "^ 


cj o-n o 


mara 
ime t 
jr-an 
e pin 


CO « oX 


■•"^ CJ ^*- ■*-* 


x; ij " u 


" c/iTD'O 


when 
then i 
coaxe 
ors un 


tiE- >.0 


C - coT? 


S £ y 9 


g £^ 3 


0^3= ° 


f^ ^t^ 


_ c/5 3 (U 


C ■- C ^ 


— j: S m 



A BIT ABOUT THE CAMP COMMISSARY 

OR KEEPING THE CITY RAISED " TUMMY " IN SHAPE 
WHILE OUTDOORS 

When a fellow passes a good share of his life in 
the city, treating his stomach to a regular diet, slip- 
ping his feet under the table on schedule time each 
day, said stomach shapes up along regular lines of 
habit and acts accordingly. When the time comes 
along to hit the steel for the trip into the woods 
where camping is in order, the job of figuring out 
what to take along in the eating-line looms up big, 
and it Is somewhat of a problem to dope out just 
what to carry. 

There is one thing that the beginner at the camp- 
ing stunt generally fails to take into consideration, 
and that is the wonderful appetite that comes creep- 
ing along about the second day of active living in 
the out-o'-doors. The first day most any kind of 
meals will satisfy, the change and excitement carry- 
ing one along; but the next morning the crisp, early 
morning air and the sniff of the bacon frying makes 
you feel like eating your head off; then after the hike 
or row and the more or less quick lunch of midday 
and the strenuous afternoon, say, boy! the evening 

263 



264 COIN' FISHIN' 

meal jumps up strong and probably double the 
amount one figures on is dumped into the pots and 
pans to satiate the growlings of a hungry tummy. 
And it's great, this appetite we have developed, and 
it gets heavier every day. Often on my trips I have 
found it necessary to replenish my supplies before 
we have made half the stay we intended, due entirely 
to the nip and pep of the air, and the energy con- 
sumed by heavy work has raised the call of my 
stomach to a powerful yelp that must be satisfied. 
There is nothing as bad for camp comfort as an un- 
derfed stomach. A fellow in this condition is just 
naturally out of humor and will grouch around and 
grumble most of the time. 

Some fellows pride themselves particularly on the 
fact that they go on a camping trip to rough it; I do 
not. When I go into the woods along the water 
trails anywhere, I want to be just as comfortable 
as I possibly can and I am not a " soft " bird either. 
I like to hit the hay on an air mattress, for the sim- 
ple reason that if I sleep well, I can do so much 
more during the day and thus derive much more 
pleasure from the out-o'-doors. And I want to give 
my stomach a fair deal. I like to prepare good 
meals, have a bit of relish with them, and top the 
whole thing off with a dessert, and I find in doing 
this that I have no " tummy " troubles, and I don't 
have to carry a layout of indigestion tablets and pills 
along to keep this organ of my system shipshape. 



A BIT ABOUT THE CAMP COMMISSARY 265 

When a fellow has made many trips to the out- 
lands he finds out two important things : One, 
that his kit should be made up of the best things 
that he can secure, in material and workmanship, 
and that these pieces of outfit must be selected 
for what they can do to keep him comfortable in the 
outlands. Second, that his camp commissary must 
be complete and that he must not expect to subsist 
throughout the trip on bacon, flapjacks, hard biscuits, 
and fish or game. Taking care of these two import- 
ant features will make any trip anywhere a success 
and the joy of it long to be remembered. 

Naturally, when a fellow breaks into his regular 
routine of living and goes back to the experiences 
of his ancestors of the early days, he changes his 
diet, his living conditions and, in fact, steps as it 
were into another plane, far removed from the 
greater part of his life. To bridge this gap and 
keep in shape there are many little things in the 
commissary line that can be carried along that will 
sort of act as conditioners, and these things should 
not be overlooked. 

Letting the main part of the commissary slip 
back a few pages, we give sweets and sugar the once- 
over. Have you ever felt the craving desire for 
sugars when far in the outlands with no sugar in 
sight? This craving is due to the great amount of 
energy consumed in hike, row, portage, and the usual 
work of camp and trail. To the fellow who, as a 



266 COIN' FISHIN' 

rule, does not do much heavy work or exercise In 
the city, after a few days in camp this craving for 
sweets will be a torment. Carry along plenty of 
sugar, jam, preserved fruits, candy, and chocolate. 
Don't think that the other fellows will place you in 
the sissy class if your personal pack shows up a line 
of this stuff. About the third day you will have to 
stand guard over it to keep them away from these 
sweets if the regular food supply does not include 
such stuff. There is nothing that can take the place 
of a chocolate bar as an in-between pacifier when 
fishing or hiking. I always carry a couple bars be- 
cause it is real food, will take away a thirst on the 
hike when no spring is in sight, and will enable you 
to stay out on the trail or water quite a bit longer 
if the game or fishing is good and your stomach is 
crying for a feed. 

Great is the call for sweets in the woods, and 
there is nothing that can take their place. I recall a 
canoe trip a couple seasons ago when four of us 
started down a stream with no habitation for a bit 
over a hundred miles. The chap in charge of the 
commissary slipped up on his job, and we had two 
pounds of sugar for the outfit. This ran out on the 
third day, and we passed the fourth and fifth feel- 
ing the gnawing craving for anything with a sweet 
kick to it. With numerous portages, and long ones 
at that, we burned up our energy on high speed, 



A BIT ABOUT THE CAMP COMMISSARY 267 

The eighth day, which happened to be mine at the 
" cookie " job, we struck the first cabin, that of a 
settler from Vermont, and great was the joy when 
I hit camp with a quart of maple syrup. We never 
waited to wet the sides of flap-jacks with the syrup, 
but drank the stuff from our kit cups. We stuck 
around there four days consuming a quart of syrup 
each day until the settler ran out of stock, and then 
paddled away feeling like fighting cocks. 

The changed diet of the woods calls for more 
work on the part of the digestive organs, and often 
a fellow will experience an attack of indigestion far 
from medical help that has possibilities of develop- 
ing into an acute stage which is bad business under 
such conditions. This is sometimes caused by the 
change of air, water, and heavy eating, and the 
stomach calls for a bit of roughage and the system 
an effective laxative. I have found that bran and 
grits will help out without falling back on the medi- 
cine kit and tone up your system at the same time. 
And the beauty of these natural foods is that you can 
take your medicine without knowing it. While mix- 
ing up a batch of flap-jacks or biscuits I put in about 
half a cup to a cup of table bran, which improves the 
flavor and acts in a perfectly natural way as a stim- 
ulant to the lower digestive tract, keeping you reg- 
ular. For the morning chow that will stand by you 
for a heavy day's casting, paddling, or hiking, and 



268 COIN' FISHIN' 

give your stomach some roughage to give it 1 grind, 
Cresco Grits or Barley Crystals are well worth car- 
rying along. 

Dates in the small packages make a most effective 
conditioner, carry a high food value in small bulk. 
They are also of a natural laxative value and besides 
that they break up the monotony of the usual camp 
menu and give a little needed change that will taste 
mighty good to the camper. I prefer to carry the 
small package dates because they keep better, are 
fresh and sweet, and they pack well. Dried raisins 
also are a rather handy bit of diet, and a handful 
dropped in the pocket will be found great when far 
from camp, and with a long trail ahead before you 
reach the head camp, while dropping a few raisins 
into a batch of bran muffins tosses you right up to 
the seventh heaven of delight when you sink your 
teeth into them. 

There is one thing that I never go into the woods 
without. I would just naturally leave my tackle at 
home as soon as cut this handy practical piece of 
commissary out of my grub and that is Anker's Beef 
Bouillon Capsules. For making the camp soup carry 
the taste of fresh meat, which by the way, is a de- 
lightful flavor after much bacon or ham, you simply 
drop a couple of these tablets into the pot and when 
you eat it you never forget the flavor. You can 
slip a little box In your pocket and always feel that 
you are safe from hunger if you happen to stray off 



A BIT ABOUT THE CAMP COMMISSARY 269 

the trail. For the quick cup of good hot tasty stuff 
that will warm you up after a wet, cold hike, make 
you able to wait for the meal without having the 
south end of your stomach bite a hole in the north 
end, you cannot beat the beef bouillon by a long shot. 
All you need is a pot of hot water, drop a tablet into 
it, or if you like it stronger drop in two, give it a 
stir, and after you drink it, pass out a silent prayer 
of thanks to the wise bird who doped out the sys- 
tem of putting so much concentrated beef into so 
little a space, and still kept it sweet and tasty. 

If you don't happen to have much taste for condi- 
ments, believe me, pal, when you pass through a 
week or so on the woods diet of fried this and fried 
that, you will wish, with all your wishing power, for 
a shot of ketchup, chili sauce, or anything with a 
biting kick to it, and probably also cuss a trifle be- 
cause you failed to include something like this in 
your layout. The flavors you can add to your grub 
will give you a variety that will make your palate 
smile with joy, and changing the taste of the usual 
run of fried stuff with a dash of sharp tasting condi- 
ment will tone up the system; in fact, you need some- 
thing just like Heinz India Relish to balance the 
system. 

Which recalls to my mind a little experience. 
Last season I met a chap on the train going up to the 
north woods country. He was a likable fellow, and 
having no particular place to hit the timber, I in- 



270 COIN' FISHIN' 

vlted him to fish at Tlmberedge Lodge with my pal 
and I. We were going to stay five days on this 
trip, and I had buried way down in my pack twelve 
heads of lettuce to give us a bit of greens during 
the stay. Of course, to some fellows this may sound 
a trifle fastidious, but to have a nice dish of salad 
for the evening meal at your permanent camp In the 
north woods Is what I call going it fine, and there is 
nothing that will taste better than this dash of green 
at the meal. 

After the first day's fishing this chap told me he 
was head butler for one of the best-known million- 
aires of the country, so I decided to show him some- 
thing different in the line of salad dressings. The 
salad In the woods fifteen miles from steel sort of 
had him panting at the starting-post, but the dressing 
made him sit up and smack his lips. As mixing 
salads with unpronounceable French and Italian 
names was his main job, he asked me for the recipe 
for this one. This passed the buck to me as I had 
put a dash of everything in the condiment fine that 
I had at the cabin, into this dressing, thinking that a 
good kick to it would add zest to the appetite. I 
started with a half a cup of cider vinegar, added 
half a cup of Heinz ketchup, then a spoonful of 
dehydrated horse-radish, a pinch of paprika, a spoon- 
ful of mustard, salt and pepper to taste. This I 
beat up well with an egg-beater, then mixing up the 
yellows of three hard-boiled eggs with a cup of 



A BIT ABOUT THE CAMP COMMISSARY 271 

cream, I mixed the two together and again beat the 
stuff to a creamy froth with the egg-beater. 

You can take it or leave it, old scout, this sure 
made a wonderful dressing, much to my surprise. 
If I had had anything else in the cabin in the condi- 
ment line I probably would have added it to the 
mixture, but since the carburetors of the human ma- 
chines around the festive board seemed to appre- 
ciate the stuff, I am glad I left the rest out. Some 
six months later the butler chap told me that he 
was serving that darned dressing more than any 
other at the table of the multimillionaire he worked 
for, and that in order to camouflage it under a 
French name to avert suspicion of its lowly origin, 
•he had named it " El Campo Dressing." 

Looking over a number of trips last season, I find 
the list herewith taUies out for two pals on a two 
weeks' trip. The dope is taken from three trips 
made on streams along which few settlers were 
passed and no opportunities were had to buy veg- 
etables or meats en route. This list, however, was 
varied and helped by fish and small game, and at 
the end of the trip an average of ten pounds of pro- 
visions was on hand. However, it is always bet- 
ter to go a bit over than short, as the appetite 
is a corker the second week. Then, again, fishing 
may not come up to expectations, and the game be 
scarce, which would mean that the left-over ten 
pounds would come in mighty handy. 



272 GOIN' FISHIN' 

We start the list with bacon In strips, eight pounds; 
small ham or butt, five pounds; salt pork, two 
pounds; butter, four pounds; lard, one pound; egg 
powder, or desiccated eggs, one pound, equaling 
four dozen fresh eggs; milk powder, three pounds, 
equal to three gallons of milk; white flour, twelve 
pounds; cornmeal, one pound; prepared pancake 
flour, two pounds; rolled oats, one pound; rice, one 
pound; dehydro potatoes, riced, two pounds, equal- 
ing fourteen pounds of fresh potatoes, and one pound 
sliced, equaling seven pounds of fresh ; dehydro car- 
rots, one-fourth pound, equaling three pounds fresh; 
dehydro onions, one-fourth pound, equaling four 
pounds fresh; dehydro cranberries, one-fourth pound, 
equahng two and one-half quarts fresh fruit; dehy- 
dro raspberries, one-half pound, equaling five quarts 
fresh berries; dried beans, four pounds; prunes, one 
pound; dried peaches, one pound; raisins, one pound; 
sugar, six pounds; coffee, two pounds; tea, one-half 
pound; cocoa, one-half pound; salt, one pound; pep- 
per, one ounce; baking powder, one-half pound; 
lemons, one-half dozen; mixed nut kernels, one 
pound; dates, candy, chocolate, and beef bouillon 
tablets, five pounds. 

The above list runs about 64 pounds, or an aver- 
age of 16 pounds a week, about two and one-third 
pounds per day, for each fellow, and when you add 
to this amount the fish and small game, your average 
will run about 3 pounds, which is all the boys from 



A BIT ABOUT THE CAMP COMMISSARY 273 

the walled-up cities builded by man can assimilate 
when flirting with Old Lady Outdoors. The army 
garrison ration allowance is four pounds two ounces 
per day, but the mess is given the privilege of vary- 
ing the amount of staples by substituting luxuries in 
which it is deficient, thus cutting down the weight 
of the menu and giving it more variety. 

To the general list a fellow usually has some one 
favorite in the grub line that tickles his particular 
palate, and this article should be Included In the grub 
list. Condiments vary the taste of the ordinary 
foods and give a bit of spice to the sauces and 
gravies. A bottle of ketchup and one of Worces- 
tershire sauce should be included, also a jar of mus- 
tard, the latter being a good medicine for the woods 
as well as a seasoner. These additions do not add 
greatly to the weight of the pack, but they give it a 
variety of taste that will be appreciated, especially 
about the middle of the second week, when the diet 
begins to assume a sameness. I have found that 
many of the Heinz varieties of foods, relishes and 
condiments make not only ideal food for the camp 
commissary, but they are real valuable as condi- 
tioners and toners up of the system while on the 
woods diet and over-feeding the enormous appetite 
developed in the open air. Their India relish, chili 
sauce, ketchup, mustard and cider vinegar can be 
used for making some of the finest relishes and salad 
dressings and they add that taste to your camp cook- 



274 GOIN' FISHIN' 

ing that makes your stomach feel " at home " no 
matter how much grease you develop In your cook- 
ing. While a can of their baked beans is the quick- 
est lunch you can make over the campfire, at the same 
time they are handy to take along on the hike from 
the head camp to nearby lakes for the noonday 
lunch. 

The pack can be lightened a bit and the amount 
of space reduced a little by substituting prepared 
coffee and tabloid tea for the regular kind. It is 
just as good as the latter, and takes but a minute 
or so to prepare. In fact, for the quick, hot drink 
and for carrying on the hike these two prepared 
articles are hard to beat. 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 

A FEW SHORT-ARM JOLTS FROM THE CAMP-FIRE 

PAGE OF THE NATIONAL SPORTSMAN 

MAGAZINE 



As editor of the National Sportsman Magazine, 
it has been my keen pleasure to write to over a hun- 
drew thousand sportsmen readers each month, and 
around the Head Camp Fire we have had some 
great times together. The fellow who follows the 
call of the out-o'-doors, is a live-wire, a clean-cut 
chap, who is full of red blood, quick on the trigger 
of his brain and an American clear through. Love 
of the outdoors, love of his country and flag dom- 
inate his thoughts and actions. Thus his every-day 
life along the paths of civilization reflects the clean 
spirit of nature and her goodness. It is indeed a 
pleasure to me to belong to this big clan of Amer- 
icans who mean so much to our country. 

During the past year some few of my Head Camp 
Talks in the National Sportsman have been com- 
mented upon and quoted throughout the country' and 
the following selection may interest the sportsmen 
who believe in playing the game fair and keeping 

275 



276 GOIN' FISHIN' 

fishing on the up-kick so that it may be better in the 
years that follow, and who wish to lead their friends 
along the woods and water trails of the out-o'-doors 
so that they may taste of the pleasures which Mother 
Nature holds out to the pilgrim. 



Way back in the dim and dusty past, when this 
great country of ours was in the making, our fore- 
fathers slipped into the stat- 
utes a lot of laws that were 
certainly corkers. They 
took so much of the joy out 



Out-o'-Doors, Man's 
Greatest Preacher 



of life that these self-same laws have been termed 
'* Blue Laws " by the people of to-day, living under 
conditions so entirely different from those of our 
sober-faced forebears, who, at moments when they 
were not hustling like the very dickens to keep the 
scalp on top of their heads, were burning the 
" witches," of whom they lived in mortal dread. 

In the early days Sunday was set aside as a day 
upon which no work or pleasure should be enjoyed. 
One sat around and hoped for the best, but did not 
dare look pleasant lest some one would hie him be- 
fore the judge for breaking the law. The long- 
faced fellows were in the majority, and they sure put 
the skids under the joy o' living wherever they could 
get a neck hold. A fellow with a torpid liver as- 
sisted by a fair-to-middlin' dose of yellow-jaundice 
probably was the leader of the outfit. 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 277 

Springing from a line of old stock like this myself, 
and holding those sturdy pioneers in the highest re- 
gard, let it be far from me to appear frivolous. 
But these days of ours are a bit different from those 
days of theirs, and the present-day game of keeping 
the pesky oF wolf from getting too darned well ac- 
quainted takes up about all of six days a week, which 
leaves just one on which many of us can get out into 
the land of out-o'-doors, to commune with nature 
and her children of the streams and woodland trails. 

Which brings us down to the fact that one of these 
old joy-killing laws is still on the statutes of a num- 
ber of states, and that is the law that one cannot hunt 
nor fish on Sunday. Last season a friend o' mine liv- 
ing in an Eastern state camped along a peaceful little 
lake. While teaching a pal casting on a Sunday, 
from a pier where no self-respecting game-fish would 
loaf his time away, and with no thought of catching 
a fish, being too keen a woodsman to expect such a 
happening from such a location, the friend was 
served with a warrant for breaking the law and a 
rustic justice of the peace slipped him a fine of fifty 
iron men and costs. And this regardless of the ex- 
planation of the situation and the statement that the 
friend was aware of the law and not trying to break 
it. 

Fifty-nine dollars and forty cents because he was 
out in the open, breathing in the God-given fresh, 
sweet air of the out-o'-doors, chumming with Nature, 



278 COIN' FISHIN' 

cleansing the body and soul of the sordid things of 
the walled-up cities builded by man, through a close 
communion with the wonders that endured long be- 
fore the advent of man and man-made laws. 

Sunday is rightfully called the day of rest and all 
of us hold that day with due respect as the day we 
seem closer to the Great Architect of the Universe, 
who made the clean, beautiful outdoors for the chil- 
dren of the earth. Getting out among these won- 
ders of nature cannot help but make of us better 
and cleaner men and citizens of our commonwealth 
and country, and if the stream or lakes call us let us 
go forth rod in hand, if that helps us enjoy the rip- 
pling waters, or a gun if we answer to the enticing 
whisper of the woodland trails; let us take these 
things with us that we may get the most out of the 
many pleasures offered us by Dame Nature. 

Fellows of the rod and gun, brothers of the out- 
land trails, men of quiet camp-fires, hear me now you 
all who know the whisper of the wind as it soughs 
through the pine, the laughing voice of the fast-run- 
ning stream waters, the quiet murmur of the placid 
lake as the waves kiss the moonbeams sent down 
from the blue-bowled starlit dome above, the deep 
silence of the nightlands of the out-o'-doors, ye are 
the chosen children within whose being beats the 
heart that is true and from within come thoughts 
that are pure and golden. 

No man can commune with nature without being 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 279 

bettered thereby, no man can view the wonderful 
work of the Great Architect without a keener under- 
standing of His greatness. The out-o'-doors is the 
greatest church in the whole world, and it preaches 
a sermon to every man every time he has a chance to 
sit right up in the front row. The follower of the 
call of the outlands is a man every time and true blue. 
He is on the square and can look you in the eye 
without dropping the lids. Far more do we trust 
him than some of the sleek, squinty-eyed gentry who 
wear a small halo around their dome in public and 
who stick the knife into your back when you are not 
looking; who would not fish on Sunday for anything, 
but who would likely do about everything else in 
the deck if no one were looking. 

Let my prayer be always that my friends may be 
from the ranks of the fellows who know the yearn- 
ing call of the red gods, from the ranks of the fel- 
lows who sneak away every chance they get to whip 
a stream or hike afield, fellows who give you the 
glad hand of true friendship with a grip that you 
feel and know is coming from the heart. 

In the meantime it is right and just that a fellow 
who grinds away six days at his work should have 
the week-end for a visit in the out-o'-doors, and 
every one of us should get busy at once for a repeal 
of the law against fishing and hunting on Sunday 
which is on the statutes of some states. Nothing 
can be accomplished by sitting back and twiddling 



28o COIN' FISHIN' 

our thumbs, nobody else is going to do the work 
for us, we have simply got to put the shoulder to the 
wheel and push, — everybody push hard, — and the 
best way this can be carried on is through the work 
of state sportsmen's associations and leagues. 

Start the good work now, — get in touch with your 
association and plug for what is right and just to the 
men who are keen enough to enjoy the God-given 
pleasures of the great out-o'-doors. 



To-day, as I write this, my heart is heavy. I 
have just received word from a hunting friend that 

Thomas Bodkin is dead. 
He has answered the call, 
and a true heart has beat its 
last kindly throb. Thomas 
Bodkin was a farmer, a til- 



Do You Close the 

Bars and Shut 

the Gates? 



ler of the soil, one of nature's own flock, a veteran 
of the Civil War and a fine man. But what made 
him famous was his friendship for the hunters. 
About ten years ago he had posted on his farm a 
sign as follows : " Autoists, hunt all you please on 
my farm, be careful of the livestock, and you are 
welcome to the house for dinner." I recall a pleas- 
ant chat with Bodkin a number of years ago while 
hunting in Indiana, as we sat in the cool shade of a 
great old tree after a day's hunt. This sign had 
been respected by all hunters, never had Bodkin any 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 281 

cause for complaint, and he had made many friends 
through this so-different posting of a farm. He had 
merely put it up to the hunters, and they were on 
their honor to respect the kindness of this grand old 
man. 

At times a fellow will be forgetful in the excite- 
ment of the chase and let down the bars and leave 
them down or go through a gate and leave it open 
with the result that livestock wanders in among the 
corn or cabbages and cuts up considerable damage. 
Such forgetfulness naturally makes the farmers sore 
and up goes the usual notice of " No Trespassing — 
This Means Hunters Keep Off." Fellows, we'll 
have more open hunting-grounds if we stop to think 
a moment and close the gate. 

Here's the best of everything to Thomas Bodkin 
in the happy hunting-grounds, friend to the hunter 
and the hunter his friend. They never left his bars 
down or his gate open. 



Right about now is a good time to think about 
restocking the nearby lakes and streams; no, I stand 

corrected, it is time to get 
busy and call the local fish- 
ing clan together and form 
a committee of the " Broth- 
ers of the Angle " of your 
neighborhood, whose duty it will be to take up the 



The Early Birdie 

Gets the Fat 

Worms 



282 GOIN' FISHIN' 

matter with your state department of hunting and 
fishing and find out how many fry or fingerling of the 
game fish-tribes you can have for your waters. 

Nearly every state is willing to furnish the stock- 
ing fish if they are sure the cans of fingerlings will be 
taken immediately on arrival at the station and 
dumped in the waters to be stocked. And to keep 
the great sport of fishing on the up-kick, the sports- 
men of every community that has suitable waters 
for stocking should get together and do the job 
right through. A small committee can handle all 
the details of the work and handle them right, not 
only to the satisfaction of the rest of the local rod- 
wielders, but to the satisfaction of the state officials, 
who are always glad to cooperate with a representa- 
tive committee from any community within their 
commonwealth. 

Just stop and think for a minute — perhaps fishing 
in your waters was not quite up to snuff last season, 
the same old he-wops do not seem to be kicking 
around thereabouts. You need a little stocking, old- 
timer, something to keep the average up, you know; 
same old game, taking everything away and puttin' 
nothing back sets the pile of chips down to nix plus. 
Try putting in a few canfuls of young fish each sea- 
son for five years and you will be surprised how much 
better the fishing is than it ever was before. Now 
is the time to do the organizing, and placing your 
request now for fingerlings or fry may mean that 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 283 

you get yours before the available supply hits the 
low-water mark. You know the story about the 
early bird and the worm — BE THE EARLY 
BIRDIE. 



Say, Fellow, 

Take Friend Wife 

Along 



This little old talk is mainly for us married fel- 
lows, but at the same time it will not hurt any of the 

" singles " to sit in and get 
a bit of dope for future use. 
You never can tell how 
soon one of the fair sex 
may come along and slip 
the double hitch over you, and a little friendly ad- 
vice from one of the tandem outfit may help smooth 
the kinks out of the road later, for kinks are bound 
to slip in more or less, some little, some great, with 
all of us. 

One who goes into the hinterlands along the trails 
of stream or field, close to nature, probably driven 
by an impulse or instinct coming down from ances- 
tors of the early days of the country, desires at all 
times to be sure of his pal on these trips back to the 
primitive. A pal that is right means much on a 
trip — it will either be a rattling success or a dis- 
gruntled failure, due entirely as to how you two 
hitch. A pal who is agreeable, likable, and willing 
to do his share, and even a bit more, makes the trip 
a joy from the start and one to be made again many 



284 COIN' FISHIN' 

times in memory in later years. Is there any one, 
old-timer, who would make a better pal than friend 
wife? 

Mrs. Dixie has been hitting the woods and water 
trails with yours truly for quite some years, and say, 
fellows, on the quiet, she is right at home on the 
trail, in the camp, on the lake or stream. And 
ghee, how she loves the outdoors, the birds, the squir- 
rels, the whole deck of forest children ! Why, man, 
you are missing half the pleasures of life by forget- 
ting to take the wife along — make a woodsman out 
of her and give her a chance to enjoy these same 
pleasures that give you pep and health. Let her 
breathe the balsam-scented air of the northlands, 
see nature working overtime on the wonders of the 
out-o'-doors. After one trip you'll have a steady 
pal for life on your trips, and you probably will 
kick yourself around in circles because you over- 
looked this bet in the past. 

Of course, you will have to do a bit more on the 
carry, take a little more of the work about the camp, 
but you'll never find a more willing pupil, and they 
take to the outdoors like a duck to water. It won't 
be long before you will be looking to your laurels in 
the game of matching wits with a keen brain that you 
likely did not entirely credit her with before. 

I have a sort of an idea that more outdoors for 
the real boss of the family would mean less family 
troubles in many cases and at the same time be a 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 285 

wonderful thing for the health of the gentler sex. 
There never has been an elixir of youth compared to 
the early rising with the sun, the cool dip in the lake 
or running stream, which is generally a darned sight 
colder, the early morning row or paddle to the home 
of the bass or musky, the hike over portage. Old 
Ponce de Leon sure was on the wrong trail way back 
there in the fifteenth century when he kicked around 
looking for a spring as the elixir o' youth. What 
he should have had his eye pealed for was a fishing 
stream or any kind of outdoor trail. So take her 
along, old man, and the woods will take on a brighter 
hue, the aroma of coffee and bacon from the evening 
camp-fire will have a homey touch, and every little 
thing will be more worth while — but do your share 
and a bit more of the work. 'Tis a great life in 
the outdoors, let the better half share its pleasures. 



Way back when I was a kid, satisfied with a bent 
pin and a stretch of string as a tackle outfit and a 

few sunnies or suckers as 
the results of following the 
banks of the home creek, 
the fellows who generally 
spent their time going a- 



By Heck, How 

Times Have 
Changed, la-la! 



fishing were usually called the village loafers; they 
just sort of drifted into going down to the dam and 



286 COIN' FISHIN' 

loafing away their time with a long cane pole and a 
can of worms. A lot of people shook their heads 
and hoped for the best, but decided that there wasn't 
much use a-hoping, as these birds would likely just 
loaf along and "not amount to a row of pins. Fact 
is, the fisherman certainly did not stand ace high 
with a majority of the local high-brows and ethi- 
cally he was nix plus with the solid, hard-working 
gentry. 

I thank the Great Master for these old-time fisher- 
men; it was from some of them that I first received 
my love for the outdoors, for the limpid lake, the 
bubbling stream, the woodland trail, and all of 
nature. Many were the warm afternoons, stolen 
from my books and studies, that were passed with 
these old " young " fellows, and much have I to 
thank them for. Great was their knowledge of fins, 
furs, and feathers; they knew where the crappies 
lived, where to get the biggest sunnies and bass; say, 
they knew every little kink in the bassing game. 
'Course they did not know much about tackle as it 
is to-day, but they certainly knew fish and fishing, 
and that is something that every angler must know 
to really enjoy the pleasures of lake and stream. 

How times have changed ! Who are the fisher- 
men of to-day? They come from every walk of 
life. They are the life of our fair land. You are 
just as likely to see the president of a bank out a-fish- 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 287 

ing to-day as you are to see the freckled-faced kid 
who dusts his chair. In fact, more so. The more 
one has developed the brain he possesses, the keener 
he is to give that brain the benefit of a few weeks 
out in the clean air of the out-o'-doors. We, of the 
angling brotherhood, come from the palace and the 
hovel, but regardless of our source of entry into the 
game, nature gives to all of us the same opportunity 
to derive the same pleasures from the great sport. 
It is our own actions along lake and stream which 
govern the joy and pleasure we derive therefrom. 
We can drink deep of the nectar or simply skim over 
the top. 

Just to show the change in say thirty years in the 
makeup of a crowd of men who go a-fishing now and 
to the makeup of the earlier days I made a few notes 
while browsing over fishing and such on a trip to the 
north woods early this season. To my left, in the 
smoker, sat the auditor of one of the largest of our 
railroads, and discussing with him on the attractive- 
ness of the mud-minnow as a bait for wall-eyed pike 
was the owner of a delicatessen store, and the argu- 
ment waxed warm and fluent. Across the seat were 
two men deep in the value of a single or tandem 
spoon and what the red had to do with making a 
piece of pork rind more interesting to the bass. 
One was a " boss " doctor from a small town in a 
prairie state and the other happened to be the owner 



288 COIN' FISHIN' 

of one of the largest mail-order houses in the world, 
while right behind these chaps were five men deep 
in the subject of fishing lore in general — a doctor, 
a shoe salesman, a plumber, a butcher, and a politi- 
cian, all passing out the information they thought 
would help the other fellow to better his average. 

When you get down to the brass tacks you know 
that the men who make up the real citizenry of the 
land follow the call of the lake and stream and that 
going a-fishing to-day means that one is enjoying 
the cleanest of sports. No more does the high 
brow lift the eye-brows when the fisherman goes 
past, — not on your life ; he hustles home and gets 
the tackle and kicks along, because he has a sneaking 
idea that they may be biting and that he will miss 
something if he don't hurry. For a long time they 
were missing something and did not know it. 

Yep, we got a lot to thank the old-timer for; he 
just kept on fishing regardless of what the other fel- 
low thought and taught the rest of the outfit there 
was something in the fishing game. There was a 
reason for his good nature, his always smiling face 
and his good health, and at last it dawned upon the 
other fellow that it must be the fishing — therefore 
the great and eager throng who each year shine up 
the tackle, hit the trail, and enjoy life because they 
have made the great discovery. May our fishin' 
days be long and our actions on lake and stream those 
of the true sportsman. 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 289 

You never can tell when some little old thing you 
have learned as a sport or pleasure will come in 

handy at the right moment 
to help put across the vital 
part of the big game of 
life. There are still a few 



Pleasures of Sports 
Pay a Big Dividend 



drudges of the ordinary work-a-day world who think 
the time a fellow gives to sport, and especially the 
great sport of the rod and gun, lake, stream, or trail, 
is a waste of time, a woful waste of time, brothers, 
time that these self-same drudges grind out a few 
more paltry dollars to leave behind when they pass 
on over the long trail. Of course, we all know that 
following the call of the outdoors gives us health 
as well as pleasure, but here is a little tale of how 
the knowledge gained from following the " call " 
helped save the day for a bunch of the boys on the 
battle-front in France. 

Charley Klein, of Brooklyn, one of the knights of 
the out-o'-doors clan, put in his week-ends hitting up 
the highways to his favorite pools and streams on 
his modern steed, the motor-cycle, and while enjoying 
the exhilarating pleasure of speeding along the 
country roads in the nippy morning air, he learned 
the motor-cycle game almost as well as a race-driver. 
He could take her apart, make a repair, do the rough- 
est roads and never " pull leather." With him it 
was entirely a sporting proposition, that little ele- 
ment in the game which makes us Americans able 



290 COIN' FISHIN' 

to do things on the spur of the moment, when some 
other nationahties have to sit down and think it 
over. 

Skipping along to the war, we find Charley 
" joined up " early, and after going through the 
paces he is doing his bit over there with his pals; and 
doing this bit, fellows, where the shells are raising 
merry hell on the front line, along the Marne. 

During the general mix-up, the Boches slip over 
a box barrage and cut off quite a bit of the line, and it 
looks like the finish to the outfit. Everything de- 
pends upon getting word back to the artillery for a 
counter-barrage. Three couriers make a running 
start, but are cut down by the shrapnel, when, by 
chance, Charley Klein discovers a motor-cycle belong- 
ing to a staff courier who has been badly wounded 
on the way up to the front. Sure you get me, old- 
timers, it only took Klein a few moments to tell the 
C. O. that he could ride 'er and that he would be 
tickled to give it a shot through the bad lands. 

So he gave it a bit of gas, opened her up, and away 
whisked an American sportsman, with as much sang- 
froid as though he were speeding along the pikes of 
Westchester County, New York. Carrying the mes- 
sage that meant life or death to his pals — and able 
to do it at the right time because he was one of the 
clan of the outdoor trails. 

And he delivered the message — certainly, al- 
though he had " put on full steam until the old mo- 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 291 

tor-cycle leaped some of the shell-holes like a kanga- 
roo," as Charley said when he woke up in the hos- 
pital. And then, because of his smile and quaint 
humor in the hospital, Klein was nicknamed " Sunny 
Charles." 

I'm for Charley Klein, both ways from the jack, 
and every one of the many, many Charley Kleins we 
have around us every day of our ordinary old life. 
The Charley Kleins are the fellows who love the 
out-o'-doors, who know the voices of nature's chil- 
dren, the ripple of the falling water as the bass makes 
its leap into the air, the purr of the motor-cycle as 
it carries us along our way, the muffled drum of the 
partridge as he makes music with his wings, the 
" honk, honk," of the flying squadrons of the air, 
the " putt, putt, putt," of the motor as it drives our 
boat through the laughing waves. Of such 
thoughts men are made. Give me, always for my 
close friends, those who love the voices of the out- 
lands. Such friends are the ones that can be de- 
pended upon as being there with the wallop at the 
right time, and they never bat an eye, no matter what 
is to be done, and every time, fellows, you will find 
that some little thing they have learned from the 
great teacher of the outdoors will stand them in good 
stead and they are able to do that which they are 
called upon to perform. 

Of course, a few of the great clan get a chance like 
Charley Klein to come through with a big chance that 



292 COIN' FISHIN' 

means so much to so many; but it Is a pleasing 
thought to feel that the citizenry of one's country is 
made up of a great army of men who are able to 
stand up and say, "I will deliver the message!" 
and then know that they will be able to do it. 

Every outdoor man is a teacher. He spreads 
the gospel of the waters and trails among the many 
men who grind through life without the light of the 
wonderlands of nature, and if but one convert is 
made, the work is well done. A little seed of 
thought of the joys of the outlands may bring to 
the nostrils of the city-weary chap the scent of the 
pines, the aroma of the evening camp-fire, not to men- 
tion the browning bacon; and after one trip to the 
woods, you generally have a regular visitor, who 
never will be able to thank you for bringing him 
into the walks that are yours and the ways that are 
wonderful. Brother, be a missionary. 



As I write this, I have before me a letter that 
brings back memories of by-gone days, when, as 

a cub reporter, I assisted 
for a few weeks in cover- 
ing the " summer White 
House " at Oyster Bay. 
Here, one day, I met the 
late Colonel Roosevelt when he was out cutting up 



America's Greatest 

Sportsman Makes 

the Long Trail 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 293 

a tree to keep in shape for the strenuous work of 
running our country. I had the pleasure of a mighty 
fine talk on the out-o'-doors with Colonel Roose- 
velt, and found him intensely interested in the pro- 
tection of our game and fish, and his knowledge 
of the subject showed that he had a wonderful in- 
sight into every angle of the " how, when, and why " 
of protecting these children of the forest, field, lake, 
and stream. And he was for protection strong. 

With his passing, America, in fact, the whole 
world, loses its most powerful and strenuous ad- 
vocate of the out-o'-doors sports, nature's own heri- 
tage, and given us to enjoy if we treat it right. 

Although ill-health originally turned Roosevelt 
as a young man to the outdoors, long before his ad- 
vent into the Western country he had made a thor- 
ough study of natural history in all its phases. 
Much of this love of the outlands no doubt came 
from his association with his uncle, Robert B. Roose- 
velt, author of " Superior Fishing " and other works 
on hunting and the outdoors, with whom young 
Roosevelt studied law. 

Colonel Roosevelt was a true sportsman, and sets 
an example that any fellow can follow, knowing 
that he can find no cleaner ideal of true sportsman- 
ship than that after which he patterns his actions on 
lake, stream, or woodland trail. He was a great 
naturalist, a keen hunter, and an active conserva- 
tionist, and his good influence on matters pertaining 



294 COIN' FISHIN' 

to the conserving of our fish and game will live long 
after his passing. 

Great as has been his work in other lines, so much 
greater has been the good he has. accomplished in 
matters dear to the heart of the sportsman, and had 
he never entered the political life of the country, he 
would still have left behind a wonderful record of 
achievement as a naturalist, writer, and protector 
of nature's children. 

May we all find pleasure in following his teachings 
along the out-o'-doors trails, that his good work 
along this line may not fall by the wayside, nor the 
storehouse of nature be denuded of the good things 
ofhfe. 



Say, fellows of the out-o'-doors clan, do you ever 
hunch back in the old easy-chair and let your memory 

carry you back to the days 
of the past when you were 
a barefoot kid toting one of 
those long ol' cane poles or 
one of the elders cut a la 



Fishin' Days 

When Hector was 

a Pup 



natural from the bankslde? You probably recall 
with joy many fishin^ trips with the kid pals of those 
days, the first big pickerel you landed, and ghee! 
how proud you were when you showed him to the 
grown-f oiks ! And then the first time you connected 
up with a bass, how he made the long pole double 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 295 

up and the scary jumps shoot up along your back- 
bone, and how in the excitement you gave the pole a 
swish and landed the game-one way back on the 
bank where you pounced upon him for safety before 
he flopped back into the water ! And the deep pool 
shaded by the trim old sycamore with the fringe of 
willows where you could hide and watch the bass as 
they took their feed with a swirl from the surface. 
Those were the days, and lucky the fellow who can 
let his thoughts wander back to such a happy child- 
hood. 

Last winter memories of other days came back 
to me many times, memories of fishin' trips with 
youths of other days, some of whom now sleep in 
France and Flanders. I recalled the favorite creek 
which has its source in the Alleghany Mountains 
and tumbles and rolls into the headwaters of the 
Potomac, and in my youthful days as good a bass 
stream as you could find in many a day; the old mill- 
dam, where the big ones lived, and how we would 
toss the small frogs in and watch the bass come up 
and grab 'enxoff the top, later to slip one on the hook 
and snap it out in the water, and from our hidden 
spot behind the spice-wood bushes fight the over- 
zealous bass via the fourteen-foot cane-pole route; 
old Blue-stone Hole, where the small-mouth held 
sway, and where we would let our minnows swim 
down around the edges of the huge blue rocks that 
jutted out of the deep waters; then a little later the 



296 COIN' FISHIN' 

long stretch of fairly fast water, broken here and 
there with riffs and white water and pools and such, 
just what any good stretch of wading water should 
be and all of two miles until you hit the big pool 
close to the Devil's Slide, where the creek cut through 
the mountains at the Narrows; and along the whole 
stream a big old frowning mountain throwing its 
shadows down over the pools just where they would 
do the most good. 

An ideal stream was this bubbling, rushing water 
of my kiddie days, and the memories were so strong 
that I dropped off there to meet a few of the old 
" he-wop " bass that had grown up since I had mi- 
grated to many other waters. The stream was 
there, the same old holes, the mill-dam a bit more 
delapidated but still on the job, the rushing, tumbling 
stretch of the finest fly-casting water — everything, 
in fact, looked fish, but not a bass to greet me. I 
fished that stream every way from the jack, fished 
it as it had never been fished before without a strike. 
Had a lot of fun, of course, which is natural to the 
angler whether he lands the game-fin or not, but I 
sure was sore that such an excellent piece of water 
should be shot to helengone. 

Here was a stream that was a natural breeding- 
place for the bass and one that I did not think could 
ever be fished out, a place that a fellow could come 
back to any old time and have a few days' pleasure. 
All of this spoiled because a law had not been en- 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 297 

forced, a law on the statutes of that state against 
the pollution of streams. A tannery having located 
some ten miles up this stream had so filled it with 
acids that no self-respecting game-fish could live in it, 
and probably those that had not died had tailed 
away in disgust. 

Nearly every state has laws covering the pollu- 
tion of streams, but it seems that in most cases these 
laws are merely jokers, as many streams that were 
once fine fishing-waters have become so poisoned 
that fish cannot live in them, and thus another source 
of nature's bounty to her peoples has been taken 
away from them. 

Naturally we must have our factories, our manu- 
facturing plants; they are the life of the country; 
but a little forethought and expenditure on their 
part would eliminate the pollution of the streams 
along which they are located. In the great old 
grab for money — in the rush to get the wandering 
dollar corralled before some one else nabs it — na- 
ture is given walloping jolts below the belt every 
day, to the loss of the people who love the out-o'- 
doors. It is interesting to note from time to time 
that local sportsmen's associations are going after 
the stream polluter, and this work should be car- 
ried on until the plants causing the poisoning of 
streams have put in improvements in the way of 
filtration systems that will eliminate this curse of our 
natural resources. 



298 COIN' FISHIN' 

Think how glad the bass are to raise a large 
family, how tickled the wall-eyed pike to breed her 
thousands each year, and yet we take away from 
them their happy family waters ! — not to forget 
the great good it does us all to get out along the 
stream if only for a day or for a week or two, as 
our luck happens to be. If the streams in your 
locality are getting the worst of it, old-timer, get 
together with a few of the brothers of the angle and 
start things moving to clean 'em up. You may 
not be able to accomplish much the first season, but 
thought will have been centered on your efforts, 
which will grow until the good work is finished. 



This is a little old Head-Camp Talk that you 
have not been looking for; it just sort of slipped in 

between some of those for 
the grown-up boys of the 
campfire. I have en- 
trusted your Uncle Sam 
with a little package which 



Dillon Cobine, 

Angler, Trapper 

age fourteen 



I hope will bring as bright a gleam to your eyes as the 
pleasure it gave me in sending it to you. You see, 
Dil, I'm only sort of a grown-up boy myself and 
every now and then I think of the days when I was 
a kid and what a joy jump of happiness came over 
me when I was handed a piece of tackle, not to forget 
the choking lump in the throat and the desire to 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 299 

just sit down and bust a few tear ducts because of 
this self-same happiness. And listen close, boy, 
there are a lot of old-timers at the outdoors game 
who get this same feeling right now when they slip 
back in memory to the days along the home-town 
creeks and lakes. 

Son, when you fondle this tackle, if you are like 
the most of us boys, you will have an overwhelming 
desire to go out and match your wits with the wile 
of the game fish — that's just natural, boy, and 
comes to us from way back in the Stone Age when 
the natives, our ancestors, coaxed the big fins out 
of the wet with a carved bone for a hook. Of 
course those old-timers at the game were not sports- 
men; they yanked the fish out in order to change 
their diet, and the diet in those days was so slim that 
a change was due them, but right now in this age of 
movies, patent breakfast foods and flivvers there is 
no excuse for a fisherman to derrick 'em out of their 
home waters — play them right, according to the 
rules of the game and you'll have many a pleasant 
day on lake and stream. 

As the rod bends in your hand from the pull of a 
bass and arches into a beautiful curve you will feel 
the same jumps go racing up your spine that you 
do now when some of the victorious Yanks go march- 
ing by, or when the bands strike up the Star Spangled 
Banner, and your nerves will tingle from the heat 
of battle — and glory be, when he makes his first 



300 COIN' FISHIN' 

break out of the water you will feel like a Comanche 
Indian doing a hoe-down. That's the red blood in 
your veins hopping to the fore, and when you finally 
bring the game one to net, you will feel like doffing 
the lid to the gamest of the game. 

Once you get the fever, boy, and you hit the steel 
for the quiet places, just far enough from civilization 
to be out of touch with the walled-up cities builded by 
man, you will then get a close-up of old Mother 
Nature that will give you a keener insight into what 
a wonderful place this little earth really is, and it 
will instill within you a desire for greater and 
grander things than the trails of civilized life could 
ever give you. And each year you will feel this 
call stronger — it will become a part of your life 
to make a pilgrimage to the outlands to breathe the 
balsam-scented air as you hike along the woodland 
trails or paddle along the waterways in your quest 
of the Golden Fleece. 

And many a battle you'll fight on the water, that 
will come back to you in pleasant memories during 
the off-season when the snow drives you into your 
burrow — the aroma of the woodsy campfire and 
the whiff of the cooking will come back to you and 
you will enjoy again the pleasures of the great out- 
doors to the accompanying whistle of the steam 
radiator and the honk of a passing motor. For 
downright fun, kid, it has the other games pawing 
the ground at the starting post, and maybe, after you 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 301 

have passed along in the sport, you will discover 
things in it that some of the other fellows have over- 
looked, and thus be able to add to the pleasures of 
the fellows who follow you. 

I am sending you a copy of " Lake and Stream 
Game Fishing," one of my humble efforts to help 
the other fellow in his quest of the game fish, and 
while you are in the first stages of the fishing fever, 
you can whet your appetite on what's between its 
covers. I hope it will bring to your heart the call 
of the great outdoors, the whisper of the tall pines 
and the laughing gurgle of the rushing waters, the 
flash of the dying sun on the quiet lake waters, the 
call of the loon as the moon shoots down its beams 
on a silence far greater than you have ever experi- 
enced in the walks of civilization. 

I am not going to load you up with advice, boy; 
everybody seems to have a bit of that to shuffle out 
on the least provocation, but I want you and all of 
the young sportsmen to follow the creed of the 
American Anglers' League when you answer the yelp 
of the red-gods and make your forays on the game 
fins. This is the creed and it should be your creed: 
To observe all fishing laws; to throw back unin- 
jured the undersized fish; to advocate the restocking 
of lakes and streams and to catch game fish in a 
sportsmanlike manner with rod, line and reel so that 
the fishing may be better in the days to come. 

Perhaps, some time in the distant future, when I 



302 COIN' FISHIN' 

am cultivating a fluffy white beard and just hanging 
around my cabin waiting for the last portage over 
the long trail, you can ease up the quiet days of us 
old-timers with stories of the outlands, the camp, 
trails, lakes and streams, for which memory trips 
we will thank you. It is the young sportsmen who 
will have to take up the work of the old-timers and 
keep the joys and pleasures of the outdoors fresh 
in the thoughts of all so that its followers may be- 
come legion. 



Each year, we of the out-o'-doors clan see the in- 
terest in nature's sports grow keener, more fellows, 

and the ladies too, are an- 
swering the great call and 
becoming regulars along 
the lake, stream, woods and 
trail. This is well, it 



How about the 
Hunting and Fish- 
ing License Money 



means a finer, cleaner citizenry and a healthier, more 
free from care, unworried people. The state law- 
makers are beginning to take heed of the sports- 
man as an important factor in the commonwealth 
and it is certainly up to the state sportsmen's or- 
ganizations to see that the lawmakers give them a 
just and square deal. All the unwritten laws of 
sportsmanship call for a square deal for the game. 
Sportsmanship in itself is nothing else than uphold- 



■iif 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 303 

ing the laws of man and the laws of one's conscience, 
and the laws of a state governing the game and fish 
should be based upon a square deal to the sports- 
man, which is just and due him. 

All states have a license covering game, and each 
year we see more of them adopting the fishing li- 
cense, which in itself is right, as both game and fish 
have mostly in the past been supported by a license 
paid by the gunner. No sportsman, whether angler 
or gunner, objects to paying this tax to protect and 
perpetuate his line of sport, if he knows that the 
moneys so paid are used for that purpose, but it 
certainly leaves a bit of a sore spot to have these 
moneys diverted to other lines of state welfare. 

It is often the case that a state will switch a big 
chunk of the money received from hunting and fish- 
ing licenses to some entirely different and foreign 
fund, while some states do not even have a special 
hunting and fishing fund, the money derived from 
this source going into the general state fund, and 
then when the game and fish department needs money 
it must waste all kinds of time and effort trying to 
get a special appropriation through the legislature in 
order to half-heartedly carry on the work of making 
hunting and fishing better. And at such times there 
is generally such a yip goes up from the stiff-collared 
gentry who do not hunt or fish, about wasting the 
state funds for such foolishness, that the game and 
fish commissioner is lucky to get a fund of half what 



304 COIN' FISHIN' 

he asked for. These " never-goers " seem to for- 
get entirely that the sportsmen themselves have paid 
In license money much more than the amount gen- 
erally asked for. 

This condition Is entirely wrong. Every cent of 
license money paid In by the hunter and fisherman 
should be spent to make better the hunting and fish- 
ing of that state. Every sportsman In a state where 
the money from the hunting and fishing licenses Is 
being diverted to other channels should take the 
firm stand that this money should go to building up 
the game and fish of that state and not jockeyed Into 
building roads or some other state effort, to the loss 
of the outdoor sports given us by nature. What's 
the use of having a fine road to speed along to the 
lake or stream when you only find a few carp, suck- 
ers, bullheads or dogfish to yank Into the boat, or a 
nice stretch of bird country with nary a bird to 
flush? Give us more hatcheries, more game farms, 
and if there Is any of our money left over, put it 
into a reserve fund; we may need It the following 
year if the cold weather happens to kill off the game 
or an epidemic lay the game fish low. 

There are too many political ways to slip the 
kibosh to a fund, to let the matter rest as it is, and 
in states where the game and fish department is 
not getting a square deal, every sportsman should 
join with a movement to clean things up. See just 
what the conditions really are in your state — if they 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 305 

need a little cleaning, go to it, and stick to the job 
until your sport secures its rights. Continued effort 
and work along this line is the only thing that will 
bring results, and it sure will bring 'em if you go 
after them and keep pounding away. 

In the meantime, it would not be a bad idea at all 
to have the fish and game department entirely di- 
vorced from politics. The best man in the state on 
game and fish is the man who should carry on the 
work of this department, and he should be given a 
free hand to do what he thinks is right to make hunt- 
ing and fishing conditions better. Too much politics 
is a bad thing to have mixed up with any state de- 
partment, but it sure can make a rotten mess of a 
fish and game department. Give the job to a man 
who is fitted for such work and the results will be 
wonderful; give it to a ward heeler and he will make 
a farce of it in no time. 

Remember the key to successfully advancing your 
fish and game department in the right direction, if 
it needs it, is through organization. Very little can 
be accomplished alone — it takes the work of the 
banded together sportsmen of a state to make their 
strength felt down where it does the most good. 
Crowd together and make 'em feel your punch. 



Every now and then some one raises the cry that 
we should get rid of the dogs — that the dog is 



Our Dogs — 
Here's to 'Em 



306 COIN' FISHIN' 

not worth while anyway and that they are a needless 

economic waste. Taking 
up the cry comes the wool 
grower and the textile 
manufacturers, loudly blam- 
ing the stray dog for killing sheep and thus reduc- 
ing the almost invisible wool supply and trying to 
harness upon the dog the reason for the exorbitant 
high prices for the almost woolen clothing. A dog's 
a dog to these fellows, and because a semi-wild 
stray pirate of the dog tribe breaks over the line 
occasionally, they are strong for exterminating this 
greatest friend of mankind. 

Along about this time we find some of the gunners 
coming out with the dope that by eliminating the 
bird dog from the game and slipping the leash to the 
beagle hound that the game birds and rabbits would 
multiply and hunting be better. The idea is wrong 
from the starting post — taking the bird dog out 
of the game would not help to increase the present 
supply and it certainly would lower the high degree 
of sportsmanship now so prevalent among bird hunt- 
ers. As a class the keen fellows who follow the dog 
afield are clean sportsmen; they are not pot hunters 
nor game hogs, but fellows who take as much enjoy- 
ment from the fine work of their dogs as they do by 
coming in with a well-filled game bag. To shoot 
over dogs lends to the making of a cleaner sports- 
man, and I venture to say that few if any true follow- 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 307 

ers of the dog afield would be guilty of an unsports- 
manlike act. 

What about the dog's point of view? Have you 
ever noticed the dash and pep to a real bird dog 
when you go out among the feathers, the real en- 
joyment of your four-footed friend as he trots along 
at your side? Say, fellows, all you have to do to 
start something is to take the old gun down out of 
the rack and look 'er over to get a wag out of the 
tail and a gleam to your dog's eyes. They are In 
the game from the kick-off, and the fellow who loves 
a dog Is loved by his dog. There is no truer friend- 
ship from animals than that which a dog gives to his 
master, and to have the true friendship of a dog 
means that one must be a fairly decent sort of a chap. 
The dog is an intelligent animal and he well knows 
the man who treats him kindly and right, and to 
such a man he will stick till the cows come home, and 
fight for him at that. 

Have you ever noticed the Instinct of the dog in 
picking his friends, and by the way, I bank a lot on 
how my dogs receive the fellows who go afield with 
me. Keep your weather eye peeled for the fellow 
who doesn't like dogs and take a good look at the 
fellow that your dog doesn't take to. I haven't 
much use for a fellow who will kick a dog, and I 
prize more highly the confidential wag of the tail 
of my favorite hunting dog than some of the " bull " 
shot by some humans. 



3o8 GOIN' FISHIN' 

No, taking the dog out of the bird game will not 
make hunting better, nor will it raise the ideals of 
sportsmanship. I think a heap of the fellow who 
can come into camp with not overfilled game pockets, 
after following his dog, and then tell you what dandy 
sport he had watching his old pal do a cunning bit 
of field work, and to top off such a day, this same 
chap will see that his dog has a good feed and a 
place to curl up for the night before he attends to 
his own personal wants, — Httle things that in my 
mind show true sportsmanship. 

Let us keep the dog with us, man's most loyal and 
unselfish friend among the animals, with the hope 
that he will help make the call afield strong in the 
hearts of all sportsmen. 



The time is near when many of us will hike out 
into the hinterlands for the annual big time in the 

woods, along the lakes and 
streams, into the Land of 
Heart's Desire, the great 
outdoors, there to com- 



The Annual Pilgrim- 
age to the 
Great Outdoors 



mune with the red gods, to imbibe the nectar of the 
spirits of the outlands; in other words, hit the steel 
for our favorite camping-grounds, to wade the 
stream we love and whip the placid lake of our 
fancy. 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 309 

Many times during the past winter we have doped 
out the trip, planned the details, inspected the 
outfit, replaced parts of the kit, and added 
things that we decided would increase the com- 
fort and pleasures of the jaunt. And keen has 
been the enjoyment of sitting back in the favor- 
ite easy-chair with the pals discussing all these de- 
tails, not to forget recalling the striking incidents 
of last season's adventure. In fact, such little camp- 
fire talks have helped us to pass through the winter 
until nature brings the sniff of springtime into the 
air to stir our blood with the call of the out-o'- 
doors. 

Fellows, here is the sad part of the story. Ad- 
vice is about the cheapest thing we find in the present 
days of combating the High Cost of Living. Every- 
body seems to be chuck full of advice and mighty 
willing to give it away at the first opportunity, — in 
fact, they more than meet one halfway, often hunt- 
ing up the chance to spill a few yards of this great 
free commodity, but as to the line I give you here, 
all sportsmen will follow it because it means helping 
to save the out-doors and its wonders for us all as 
well as for those who follow in our trails in the fu- 
ture, after we have passed on to the Happy Hunting- 
Grounds, just over the long portage. 

My little chunk of advice is simply this, " Be sure 
and put out your camp-fire," which does not seem 
like an awful lot to ask of a fellow, when we figure 



310 COIN' FISHIN' 

that It is such a small thing to do. Yet each year, 
through carelessness in this " little thing," many 
millions of dollars in value are lost, many lives are 
snuffed out, and many square miles of forest are de- 
stroyed, which means that much game is killed and 
this same land is denuded of life and beauty. 

A big part of this loss can be averted by every 
fellow who goes into the woods country making sure 
that his camp-fires are always completely extin- 
guished. Many times the camp-fire is built over 
ground deep with the dry rot of years and this mat 
of dried leaves, limbs, roots, and grasses will smolder 
for hours, the first wind fanning it into a flame which 
starts the forest fire on its wild course of destruc- 
tion. As a safety-first, clear off a location for your 
camp-fire, then be absolutely sure it is completely 
outened before you hit the trail for other places. 
And traveling right alongside of the " half-put-out " 
camp-fire are his pals. These little members of the 
Don't Family are just as destructive in their devilish- 
ness. They are : " Don't throw a match away 
after lighting your pipe," be sure it is dead before 
you drop it, and " Don't toss a lighted cigarette or 
cigar butt alongside the trail," unless it Is entirely 
outened; not to forget that it Is not good style in 
the woods to kick the heel of your lightened pipe on 
the edge of a log or tree to start a little personally 
conducted fire of its own — the darned fire might 
catch up to you anyway, they sure travel with speed 




The wrong way to shove the landing net in the fishes face and expect 
to land him. This scares any sure enough frisky game fish into 
a final effort at the vital moment, and he generally gets away; but 
note the correct position of the chap with the rod. He places his 
weight on the opposite side of the canoe as a balance to his pardner 
with the net. 




The correct way is to drop the net down in the water and then the 
rod man leads the fish over it and the game one drops in on the up- 
ward raise of the net. 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 3ti 

In a fair wind and it's no easy game to keep ahead of 
one. 

Having relieved myself of this advice, I feel bet- 
ter; everybody does after slipping the advice stuff 
to some one. But after having raced with one for- 
est fire, trying to beat It to the safety zone and just 
making it by the skin of the teeth, and a few years 
later passing seven hours in the chilly lake water, in 
September, in Minnesota, while the fire raced along 
the shores, trying to keep one's feet steady on a 
sand-bar with a gale working " likell " to throw you 
off and into the deep water; not to mention a fairly 
well parboiled back, face, and shoulders from the 
cinders and intense heat, with a duck under the water 
every time you decided you could not stand the gaff 
another second, one can fully appreciate the great 
necessity of following this one rule of the true woods- 
man BE SURE YOUR CAMP-FIRE IS OUT — 
THEN PUT WATER ON IT. 



This seems to be a time when a fellow Is simply 
bubbling over with advice. Now we come to our 

regular annual request 
that all anglers " throw 
back the little fellers," 
so that they may grow up, 
raise a family or so, and 
Increase the percentage in order that our fishing may 



Throw Back the 

Little Fellers, 

Make Fishin' Better 



312 COIN' FISHIN' 

be better each year instead of passing back into the 
kick-off stage, like a lot of past performers in the 
game end that have been exterminated by the pot- 
hunter before the passing of laws to conserve the 
species. 

We all know there are laws governing the length 
of game-fish that may be legally dropped into the 
creel or slipped on to the stringer; but sometimes a 
fellow will take a chance, and, if nobody is looking, 
stretch the imagination a trifle as well as the length 
of the fish and keep the little unsophisticated tail- 
kicker. And the little rascal did not put up much of 
a fight, did his best, of course in a frightened sort of 
a way, and it was no credit to one's tackle skill to 
bring him to net. 'Course if he had a couple years 
more to kick around in the water, learning the tricks 
of his ancestors, he would put up a rattling good 
light — something to go miles to join in. 

In returning one of these babies to the water, care 
should be exercised in disgorging the hook in order 
not to injure the youngster, and one very important 
thing to do, is always to wet the hand before holding 
the fish so that the protecting film over the scales will 
not become broken or injured. It is this film that 
keeps germs in the water from eating into the vitals 
of the fish and eventually kiUing them. 

While enjoying the thrills of the dashing fight of 
the battling game-fins, think once in awhile of this 
future supply and about how you will want to fish 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 313 

when you are trailing a bunch of whiskers around 
in the coming years. I'm stacking a bunch of chips 
that you will put the little fellers back with a smile 
and good luck to 'em. 



Make an Outdoors- 
man of a 
Friend this Year 



Conservative estimates place the number of an- 
glers in this great old country at close to two million. 

Some bunch, fellows, when 
you come to think of it. 
What a great army of 
keen fellows following the 
principles of good old 
Izaak Walton, dean of all anglers! We who go 
out along the water-trails know of and enjoy the 
pleasures of angling. The call is so strong within 
us that we answer it even should it happen to be but 
a murmur. In fact, we are so alert for the least sign 
of a fishing-trip that we don't even wait to be called. 
Why not take a friend along this year, each and 
every one of us, and make this figure a cool four mil- 
lion? Take a friend along who does not know of 
the joy of angling — show him the way to a happier 
life and at the same time, better health. If every 
one of us would do this missionary work this season, 
we will have done much for humanity, much toward 
the making of better citizens and much to the gen- 
eral good of the country. Never will the friend for- 
get that he made his first trip in quest of the game- 



314 COIN' FISHIN' 

■fish with us, and never can he thank us enough for 
leading him into the walks that are ours. Slip a 
new pal the glad invitation this year — help make 
life better. 



American Sports- 
men, Minute Men of 
1920, Be Prepared! 



What about the " Reds " ? By this I mean, 
brothers of the outland trails, the whole layout of 

anarchists, communists, 
bolsheviks, who are trying 
to undermine law and or- 
der in these fair states of 
ours, trying to run this 
grand old country on the rocks. Every one of these 
tangled-brained members of the soviet clan has a 
hankering to get their hands around the throat of 
Miss Columbia and squeeze. This is no idle jest, 
no flight of fancy; the reds are among us and work- 
ing to spread the idea of radicalism throughout the 
land. It is a known fact that the country, particu- 
larly in the largercities, swarms with agents of Lenin 
and Trotsky, the red leaders who have scattered 
arson, rape and murder throughout Russia, and that 
funds from the Russian Soviet are being used to 
finance this wild-eyed dream of the reds to damn 
this country of ours forever, not to forget that much 
of this social unrest spotted here and there through- 
out the land is the growth, like a rank weed, of the 
poisonous seeds dropped by these advocates of the 
" coming revolution," as they call it. 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 315' 

Is this fair land of ours, and of our fathers, to 
become a flaming torch and be drenched with the free 
blood of Americans and their families; our women 
to feel the unclean hands of mob rule; our homes 
defiled by a raving bunch of maniacs who do not 
know right from wrong; law and order from vio- 
lence ; the sanctity of our womanhood from the free 
love they advocate? Not while a drop of blood re- 
mains in the veins of five million sportsmen can such 
a thing take place, I answer, for myself and the great 
clan of sportsmen, true Americans, followers of the 
woods and water trails. These Minute Men of 
1920 will rise in a unit and crush any attempt to drag 
in the dirt the glorious old flag we love and supplant 
it with the red flag of rebellion and anarchy. 

I am not a pessimist; it is not my nature to follow 
the dark and gloomy side ; I love the sunshine of the 
optimist, the rustle of the running stream, the laugh- 
ing ripple of the wind-kissed lake waters, the smil- 
ing, happy face of the outland pal — but, when there 
is a rumble in the clouds, the sun goes into hiding, 
and things point to bad weather, then getting every- 
thing shipshape and being prepared is mighty good 
policy even if nothing develops and the sun comes out 
to liven things up again. 

Naturally these raven-hued human buzzards may 
not be able to find enough weak-minded followers 
to raise their courage to come out in the open to 
pull this " coming revolution " they squawk about, 



3i6 GOIN' FISHIN' 

but should they by accident dope up enough false 
courage to come out from behind their bomb system 
and start something, let all of us sportsmen who love 
our country and its open stretches, step forward 
ready for action and sHp 'em the sting of a .30-30 or 
a full charge of buckshot as a little reminder that 
they are stepping wrong in this free land of ours. 

To be ready for such emergency is not merely to 
sit back by the fire and cuss them out as a bunch of 
varmints and saying that you are ready any time 
you are called for — but let the sportsmen of the 
whole country, five million strong, be able to say to 
the sheriff of their respective counties, " I am ready 
for instant service when you want me, and ready with 
one hundred rounds of ammunition." What does 
this mean to a community? Simply that there are on 
hand a band of loyal true Americans that the sheriff 
can call instantly to come forward in the name of 
law and order, ready to protect the homes and 
womenfolk against any outbreak that might develop 
from the poisonous, insidious vaporing of weak, 
rattle-brained radicals. It places in the hands of the 
sheriff of every county in the United States a force 
of loyal Americans who can shoot and shoot to kill, 
men who are armed and ready with ammunition. 
For an emergency force they would be able to re- 
store order quickly and with rattling good results, 
without it being necessary to round up ammunition 
and guns from the state arsenals. If anything 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 317 

should ever break in the rough-house line by the 
" reds," speed on the part of law and order would 
nip the game In the bud, and I can think of no better 
way to quickly get together an armed force of men 
than for the sheriff to have a list of sportsmen to 
whom he can issue the call instantly and know that 
they would quickly rally to his colors with the neces- 
sary tools of the shooting trade and the stuff that 
goes with them. Anarchy relies on a sudden out- 
break of terrorism to subject the greater majority 
of the people to their smaller numbers, using the 
gun, the knife, the bomb, the torch or any other 
devilish method they can think of, and a few quick 
loads of buckshot or bullets would make them cringe 
in their holes and yip for peace. My own personal 
opinion Is that more use should be made of stone 
walls and a firing squad for those who try to wreck 
a country. If this little old country is not good 
enough for any one who has come to our shores, the 
best thing for such people Is to " get out and get out 
damn quick "; if they come here with the sole idea 
of tearing down our laws and institutions, then the 
firing squad is just a trifle too good for them. 

As a httle old " safety first " in the red game, let 
every American sportsman secure one hundred 
rounds of ammunition for his favorite gun and fifty 
rounds for his hip gun and then immediately notify 
his sheriff that he is so prepared and ready for Instant 
orders should the sheriff need him in case of trouble 



3i8 GOIN' FISHIN' 

with the reds. No uniforms would be necessary to 
make a gang like this effective, but what better serv- 
ice, what more honorable service, could be given by 
your old hunting coat, than to wear it in the service 
of your country, your homes and your women folks. 
Let this be a summons to the sportsmen of the 
country to answer the call of the Minute Men of 
1920. Be prepared; get your ammunition and no- 
tify your sheriff. Trouble may not come, but if it 
does, let the sportsmen of this fair land be the men 
who through love of flag and home crush under their 
heel the venomous snake of anarchy and terrorism, 
if it tries to debauch the fairest, freest country on 
earth. American sportsmen — act now — Be 
ready ! 



Twelve years of comradeship are ending to-night, 
twelve years of merry hikes afield after the jumping 

Httle Molly Cottontail, 
my old beagle is about on 
her last pegs. No more 
will she follow the trails 



Hunting Out the 
Long Trail 



of the nimble little Br'er Rabbit singing the lively 
yip of the hot scent. Twelve years we have been 
kids together, kids of the field and camp. Badly 
scarred from many battles, carrying a few shot 
around for years, yet glad to hit the trail even now 
if her poor ol' legs would carry her. Talk of the 
hunt and the tail gives a knowing wag, the ears 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 319 

cock up and the eyes carry an answering gleam. 
The will is there but the weakened, worn and tired 
little frame has not the strength to move. 

Up all night with Trix, glad to do so, glad to be 
able to try and help this pal of so many wonderful 
trips afield, to ease her along the long trail, glad to 
rub her aching muscles, 'cause she knows her pal is 
doing all he can to help her, glad to wash her mouth 
and tongue with cooling water to take the fever 
down a little. 'Course she cannot speak to me, but 
I know, and any fellow who has ever had a dog 
pal knows, that she understands and every wag of 
that stumpy little tail is her way of showing her 
affection and that she knows. 

While I sit here doing what I can, there's a flood 
o' memories come back to me of the many jaunts 
afield we've had together and just at the break o' 
day she slips over the big portage with her head 
along my knee. Kismet. 



Out-o'-luck, buddie, flat on the back with old 
Mistah Flu and his dark, dizzy cohorts all hiding 

around waiting for a chance 
to swat you between the 
eyes and knock you for a 
goal. You don't know 



Out-o'-Doors on 
Dreamland Trips 



much about the beginning of the scrap, the wife tells 
you that you talked " bugs " the first day or so and 
now that you are getting a bit better a little pep 



320 GOIN' FISHIN' 

crawls in and you try to order things so and so, but 
the old Medico still has complete control, so we just 
lay back and do a little aimless thinking until the 
" big chief " o' the sick room rubs our head with a 
few soft strokes that sends our canoe out along an- 
other bass stream of the land o' dreams. 

About the third day, we think we are a big bass, 
down in a deep cool pool and along comes a nice 
silver shiner right into our mouth, we snap the jaws 
shut and then dimly hear the Doc say, " temperature 
around 104 degrees when he bit the thermometer 
in two ; hand me the other one from my case, please," 
which is the first we know that they have us spread 
out on our back. And when we raise an arm just 
to see if it is still there the darned thing don't even 
raise at all, and from that point on, buddie, it's a 
great trip of discovery. We never knew so many 
aches could be concentrated in such little spots. If 
we ever meet the gang who were camping in the 
back of the roof of our head trying to kick the lid 
off, we sure will hand 'em a wallop for luck. 

Ghee ! how a fellow wants to get out-o'-doors 
when it just cannot be done and we never really 
knew how many, many years there are in each hour 
when one is flatter'n a pancake the sixth day in the 
same ol' bed. Pancake fine, that gives our mem- 
ory another trip back a couple years at the camp 
on Pine Island before the war when the three of us 
baked pancakes in contest. Some cakes, golden 



HEAD CAMP TALKS ^it 

brown and of the size of the spider and great was 
the sport of judging for the blue ribbon and many 
the arguments as to mixture and when to toss 'em 
in the air for the best results. And of the lads 
around the camp-fire that night, two never came back 
from France. 

We know the number of flowers on the wall, be- 
cause we have counted them time after time, and 
the wonder to us is, why the pink ones never crawl 
completely over the blue ones, and great guns, we 
discovered a lot of butterflies flitting through the 
flowers, which took us back to the August on the 
upper Mississippi when the yellow butterflies were 
on wing, and the every cast of our Yellow Sally was 
met with a walloping crack by an over-enthusiastic 
small-mouth bass. They struck with a snap like a 
pistol shot and the floating Yellow Sallies never had 
more than a chance to kiss the water before the bass 
took 'em. And just a couple weeks ago Jack Dahl- 
gren, great lover of the out-doors and a keen fly 
fisherman of La Crosse, Wis., one of the lads on that 
trip, made the last long trail of the outdoorsman. 

Three days the snow flakes have gone drifting 
past the window and the sunlight scintillating through 
them made them look like fairy flowers, just the 
kind of snow to pile up around the cabin and make 
a hike on snow-shoes the real stuff, threw me back 
a peg or two in memory to the time Mac left the 
snow-shoes too close to the evening camp-fire way 



322 COIN' FISHIN' 

back in the Blue Stone country and the next day we 
had one helova time making the eight miles through 
the deep snow in slashings and burnt-over back to 
the head camp and how the blizzard made the last 
two miles or so look like we never would make it. 
You can bet every old familiar Norway pine on the 
tail end of that hike looked as good to us as a famil- 
iar lighthouse to a Gloucester skipper along the 
Maine coast during a heavy blow. 

So long, fellows, I hear the Medico in the offing, 
he will now come in, look for a fever, count my 
teeth, pound me on the chest, take a squint at my 
eye, make a few passes and demand more quiet. 
Why couldn't he drop in, bring a poker deck along 
and sit in a few hands of penny ante to pass some 
of these eons of time away while no one was look- 
ing, but then we would not take so many memory 
trips each day and raise a fever for him to find 
every time he shoves that little silver bait in our 
mouth. 



Our National Parks. Yep, sounds sort of big; 

reminds us of the government and reading the Con- 
stitution of the U. S. at the 
old-time Fourth of July 
celebration and we don't go 
into details, just let the mat- 
ter slip along at that, and 

we outdoorsmen, the people who are really vitally 



Our National Parks 

Are the People's 

Playgrounds 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 323 

interested in these wonderlands of Nature and their 
development, are missing the greatest handiwork of 
the Great Architect Who created them for His chil- 
dren. 

The national parks throughout the country have 
been selected because these different locations are 
supreme examples of their kind, scenery of distinc- 
tive quality, or some natural feature so extraordi- 
nary or unique as to be of national interest and im- 
portance that should be developed for the benefit of 
the people. 

Being of the people and for the people, which 
means, fellows, you and me and the lad in the next 
boat, that we are overlooking a winning bet by not 
packing the duffle and hitting the trail for one of 
these beauty spots of nature. That is, some of us 
are playing the losing hand because figures speak 
right out in meeting and they speak with a fairly 
loud yelp. During 19 19 season over 750,000 peo- 
ple visited the national parks. Over 750,000 lovers 
of nature and the out-o'-doors enjoyed the wonders 
of their own parks. A mighty big figure — a heap 
o' people out of the entire population of our grand 
country and it's a sure-fire bet that these people, 
every last one of them, are little missionaries spread- 
ing the gospel of the Parks to their friends. These 
national parks, long considered by many as a finan- 
cial liability to the government, are in reality one of 
our biggest economic assets. Outdoor Americans, 



324 GOIN' FISHIN' 

who do their own thinking, have long known that 
vacations in the natural parks, where nature is at 
her wildest and best, are the surest antidote for the 
many ills of our speedy twentieth century civiliza- 
tion. 

The national park movement is nation-wide, and 
it is interesting to know that while in 19 15 most of 
the park visitors made the parks via the railroads, 
in 19 19 an analysis shows that the bulk of the 
travel was by automobile from all parts of the coun- 
try, which makes it look as if " Seeing America 
First " and really knowing one's country was at least 
coming into its own. Laying aside the big wonders 
to be found in the parks proper, is there any finer 
way to see just what a great big, fine land we live 
in than to tour across its wide stretches, between 
blowouts and punctures ? 

And what does it mean to the country, besides 
educating the people? Formerly a great part of 
this touring outfit hit the water for Europe and 
dropped a golden stream of American money in a 
wide swath across the old continent, leaving a nice 
sized stack of something like $225,000,000 annually 
in little Switzerland alone and to see a bunch of 
mountains, etc., that have nothing on those of 
Glacier, Crater Lake, Yellowstone, Mount Rainier 
or Rocky Mountain Parks. Now we can tour our 
own country, see what she looks like at her grandest 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 325 

and what " jack " It costs stays right here and helps 
keep things humming In our own land. 

Moreover, as tourists we buy outing clothing, 
fishing tackle, field glasses, cameras, lunch kits, 
camping outfits and a thousand and one things use- 
ful and ornamental. We buy long before the start 
and all along the way. Everybody along the route 
— from the outfitter in the home town to the griz- 
zled guide In the mountains, gets a cut of our coin 
and the merry law of averages works it back to use 
while circulating in our own country. 

The national parks are symbolic of the democracy 
of the people. We out-o'-doorsmen can make the 
parks a la nature, we don't have to wear a " boiled " 
shirt during the trip, nor make the hotels unless we 
are so Inclined, we can slip Into our regular outing 
togs, take the old camping outfit along and make 
an honest to goodness close to nature ramble out 
of the park trip, and as far as fishing goes, we find 
the finest kind of trout fishing throughout the moun- 
tain parks. We can follow the trails that give us 
the wildest kind of going and we find nature just 
as she has been for countless ages, and will be for 
those that follow us. 

The national parks movement is In no way polit- 
ical, and it should have the undivided support of 
every American who loves his country. Its natural 
wonders and the great outdoors. The parks are 



326 GOIN' FISHIN' 

free and open to all of us; we all have a heritage in 
them and we want our children to have these natural 
beauty spots preserved for them. When other parts 
of the country that are now wild and untouched by 
the inroads of civihzation answer to the demands of 
commercialism and the factory takes the place of 
the birch and elder of the streamside, then these 
national parks will really come into their own and 
get the appreciation from the public which is due 
them. Through these parks, we of this generation 
can create and instill in the hearts of the younger 
ones a love of the outdoors that will make for better 
citizens and better citizens means keeping this coun- 
try up to the high standards of our forefathers. 

Up until the creating of LaFayette Park in 19 19 
on the Isle of Mount Desert, off the coast of Maine, 
all of the national parks were west of the Mississippi 
River. During the past season, the first in which 
this new park was open to the public, 64,000 vis- 
itors made the park, which shows that the east ap- 
preciates nature and wants more of it. 

The east needs more parks for the great mass of 
population of that section, and there are plenty of 
natural beauty spots that would make national parks 
of the finest and still be right handy to the big crowd. 
Although the mountain country of the east is not as 
rugged as the western ranges, yet the ridges and 
valleys of the east are beautifully wooded, and one 
can travel many a moon before finding as rare a 



HEAD CAMP TALKS 327 

sight as the Adirondacks, the Alleghenles or the 
Blue Ridge mountain country. And this goes double 
for the October days, when nature has minted the 
leaves to the many tints of gold and orange, daubed 
here and there with the blood red sumac and 
maple against a glorious background of greens of 
the pine, hemlock and spruce, slashed here and there 
with the silvery threads of the mountain streams 
that tumble and roam along on their way to the sea. 

For the many outdoorsmen, the sportsman and 
particularly the angler there would be nothing finer 
than a fair sized national park in the Adirondack 
country, where the streams could be protected and 
stocked systematically by the government so that 
fishing could be enjoyed by thousands of fellows and 
their families who probably could not make the big 
hike 'cross country to the western parks where trout 
fishing is one of the big attractions to the outer. 
Camps throughout the park, with hiking trails 
through the mountains, canoe routes with camping 
places along the way, all under government control 
would make a park that would draw hundreds of 
thousands of people to the out-o'-doors who have 
never heard the call before. 

Another park for the outer, that would make the 
attendance records of the present parks look like an 
" also-ran " could be laid out in the lake country of 
the north woods of Wisconsin. This great natural 
wonderland along the divide between the Missis- 



328 COIN' FISHIN' 

sippi valley waters and those that flow Into the Great 
Lakes and the St. Lawrence, famous the world over 
for its bass, trout and musky fishing would be the 
Mecca of many thousands of followers of the wood- 
land and water trails. 

Yes, huddle, I am for the national parks, those 
that we now have with us and more that we should 
have and every sportsman should get behind this 
movement which means so much to the outdoors 
clan and those who follow in our footsteps. To 
the " little army " of good Americans, " the army 
of national park enthusiasts " as they have been 
called, clean cut citizens who have given much of 
their time and enthusiasm to the furthering of the 
national park idea, we all owe a vote of thanks for 
their untiring efforts to keep up the interest and work 
in the parks. 

If we can do it this year, fellows, let's see one of 
our national parks, places of beauty and grandeur 
in which we all own an interest. 



WHERE TO GO A-FISHING 

During the past few years I have had many re- 
quests for information on where to get the musky, 
the old roughneck of the weed-beds, the smallmouth 
bass, the trouts, the wall-eye pike and the pike. 
Thinking that a condensed list of some of the most 
popular places in the different fishing waters would 
be of interest to most readers, and of help to them 
in planning their pilgrimages to the outlands, I have 
selected here a few of the good fishing points in 
Wisconsin, Minnesota, the north Pacific coast coun- 
try and Canada. During the past three years, I 
have either fished at these points or have had reliable 
reports from anglers, members of the American 
Anglers' League, who have fished the waters upon 
which they reported, and I feel that a cast in any 
of these waters will bring joy to the angler's heart 
and fish to his stringer or creel. 



329 



WISCONSIN FISHING WATERS 

The North Woods of Wisconsin are spotted with 
so many lakes and threaded with so many streams 
that it seems you could step from lake to lake, and 
in fact, one could spend a lifetime in a canoe making 
this wonderful fishing country passing through these 
waters without more than the ordinary portages to 
be found along any chain o' lakes. And each lake 
is a new field for finny battles with the roughneck 
fighter, the musky, the fast scrapping small-mouth- 
bass and the bull-dog fighter, his cousin the large- 
mouth bass, or the stream raised rainbow trout with 
his electrofying speed. Not to forget the graceful 
fight of the brook trout or the tugging battle of a 
large wall-eyed pike. 

Many of these lakes and streams of northern Wis- 
consin are so grouped and connected that they have 
been classified under names and such waters have 
a reputation for the splendid fishing which they sup- 
ply. The Three Lakes Waters, jumping off place 
Three Lakes, Wis., are a group of lakes good for 
musky, bass and pike and are connected with the 
Eagle Waters. From Three lakes you reach the 
famous Butternut lake, twenty miles in the timber, 

330 



WISCONSIN FISHING WATERS 331 

where some of the finest small-mouth bass fishing 
in the country is found. A bit north of Three Lakes 
are the Eagle Waters, jumping off point Eagle River, 
Wis., fine for musky, bass, great northern pike and 
trout. Here is the starting point of the famous 
Wisconsin River canoe trip with the windup at 
Rhinelander. A bit north of the Eagle Waters 
at Phelps, Wis., we have Long Lake with a reputa- 
tion for big small-mouth bass and musky and just 
north a few miles farther and we leave the steel at 
Donaldson, Wis., for Lac Vieux Desert, noted for 
the large size of the musky taken from its waters, 
and heading in west we hit the Cisco Chain on the 
divide where the waters running north give us ex- 
cellent trout fishing and those running south fine 
for small-mouth bass fishing. 

A little west and on a line with the Three Lakes 
Waters we have the Tomahawk Lake Waters with 
the jump off at either Tomahawk Lake, Wis., or at 
the upper end at Woodruff, Wis., and from this 
latter place we also hit the Arbor Vitae and St. Ger- 
main Waters on the east, all good musky and bass 
fishing. A little farther north brings us to Lac 
Du Flambeau Waters of the Lac Du Flambeau In- 
dian reservation, jumping off place Lac Du Flam- 
beau, which also serves for the Trout Lake Waters 
off to the northeast. 

A few miles north we strike Powell, Wis., the 
heading in place for the Manitowish Waters with 



332 GOIN' FISHIN' 

the lakes and streams of the big musky and bass; 
here is also the kickoff for canoeing the Manitowish 
and Flambeau Rivers, fine for the stream raised 
musky. Just north of Powell brings us to Mercer, 
Wis., going in place for the Turtle Waters and a 
trifle northeast is Winegar, Wis., which drops us 
into the Presque Isle country, the real primitive back 
to nature part of Wisconsin with its lakes lined with 
virgin timber and full o' fish worth fighting. 

Long Lakes, Phelps, Vilas Co., Wis. Excellent 
small-mouth bass fishing, run to good size, musky, 
wall-eye pike and stream trout fishing, first class 
resort accommodations and camping outfitting, 
guides, boats, etc. For information, Chas. E. 
Hazen, Phelps, Wis. 

Twin Lakes, Phelps, Wis., Vilas Co. Good large 
and small-mouth bass fishing, musky, pike and 
wall-eye pike, wall-eyes run big, resort accom- 
modations good, boats, guides, etc. For informa- 
tion, Andrew Hansen, Phelps, Wis. 

Spider Lake, Manitowish, Vilas Co., Wis. Ex- 
cellent bass, musky and pike fishing, centers in 
fourteen good lakes of Manitowish waters, many 
big musky from here. Good canoeing waters, ac- 
commodations first-class. For information, T. 
J. Koerner, Manitowish, Wis. 

Big St. Germain Lake, Woodruff, Oneida Co., 
Wis. Excellent small-mouth, red-eye bass, 



WISCONSIN FISHING WATERS 333 

musky, pickerel, great northern pike and wall- 
eye fishing. Very fine accommodations and 
equipment. For information, Amedee Chabri- 
son. Musky Inn, Woodruff, Wis. 

Lake Mamie, Donaldson, Vilas Co., Wis. (R. R. 
station, State Line, Mich.) southeast end of Cisco 
Waters, 75 lakes can be fished by canoe from here, 
good bass, musky, pike and pickerel, small-mouth 
bassA-i. Good accommodations. Information, 
Charley Bent, Donaldson, Wis. 

Tenderfoot Lake, Vilas Co., Wis. (R. R. station, 
Cisco Lake, Mich.) northwest end of Cisco 
Waters, very good small-mouth bass fishing, pike, 
pickerel and musky and trout fishing, fish many 
lakes from here, good accommodations, in heavy 
timber country. Information, C. E. Lundberg, 
Watersmeet, Mich. 

Lake Alma, Vilas Co., Eagle River, Wis. Good 
bass, pike, wall-eye pike, trout, lake and stream 
musky. Fish Lakes Alma, Moon, Findley, Little 
St. Germain. Accommodations great, equipment 
good. For information, George H. Jackson, 
Eagle River, Wis. 

Little St. Germain Lake, Vilas Co., Eagle River, 
Wis. Musky, pike, bass, wall-eye pike and 
stream pickerel, from here fish 20 mile stretch of 
Wisconsin River, fishing good. Good accommo- 
dations and equipment. For information, John 
R. Powell, Eagle River, Wis. 



334 COIN' FISHIN' 

Black Oak Lake, Donaldson, Vilas Co., Wis. (R. 
R. station, State Line, Mich.) Good salmon 
trout, bass, pike and trout fishing. A dozen con- 
nected lakes fished from here. Very good ac- 
commodations. For information, Geo. J. St. 
Clair, Donaldson, Wis. 

Lac Vieux Desert, Donaldson, Vilas Co., Wis. 
(R. R. station. State Line, Mich.) Largest in- 
land lake in Wis. Great for musky fishing, run- 
ning to exceptional size, small-mouth bass, trout 
and wall-eye pike, trout streams nearby. Ac- 
commodations, boats, guides, etc., of the best. 
For information, John Lobischer, Donaldson, 
Wis., and Louie L. Thomas, Vudesare, Wis. 

Meta Lake, Eagle River, Wis. Centers on a chain 
of 27 lakes in the Eagle River Waters; very good 
bass, musky, pike and trout fishing, equipment, 
boats and accommodations very good. For 
information, Horace Tilden, Eagle River, 
Wis. 

Ballard Lake, Eagle River, Wis. Good bass, 
musky, pike and trout fishing; 25 lakes can be 
fished from here and five trout streams. Very 
good accommodations and equipment. For in- 
formation, Ole Rismon, Star Lake, Wis. 

Spirit Lake, Oneida Co., Three Lakes, Wis. 
Pike, musky, bass, wall-eye pike fishing good; can 
fish Three Lakes Waters from here. Fine canoe 
trips, through chain o' lakes; accommodations 



WISCONSIN FISHING WATERS 335 

and equipment good. For information, W. A. 
Beach, Three Lakes, Wis. 

Butternut Lake, Forest Co., Three Lakes, Wis. 
The best small-mouth bass fishing in many a day; 
trout in nearby streams. Twenty miles in the 
timber; A-i accommodations in every way for 
real fishermen and their families. For informa- 
tion, Gus. Griswald, Three Lakes, Wis. 

Star Lake, Vilas Co., Eagle River, Wis. Musky, 
and great northern pike fishing good. Fish Plum, 
Razorback and Rice Lakes from here also. Ac- 
commodations and boat equipment very good. 
For information, John W. Oliver, Star Lake, 
Wis. 

Manitowish Lake, Manitowish, Wis. Very good 
musky, pike and bass fishing; fish from here twelve 
lakes well bunched and connected all good fish- 
ing; equipment and accommodations very good. 
For information, Chas. H. Doriot, Manitowish, 
Wis. 

Little Arbor Vitae Lake, Vilas Co., Woodruff, 
Wis. Very good bass fishing in Arbor Vitae 
lakes and good musky fishing in Carroll and 
Madeline lakes, fished from here also pike and 
pickerel. Accommodations and equipment O. K. 
For information, Otto Mielke, Woodruff, Wis. 

Tomahawk Lake, Tomahawk Lake, Wis. Good 
fishing for musky and bass in Tomahawk and 
lakes connecting. Very good accommodations 



336 GOIN' FISHIN' 

and all kinds of equipment. For information, 
Chas. Sanders, Tomahawk Lake, Wis. 

Squirrel Lake, Oneida Co., Woodruff, Wis. 
Very good bass, pike and musky fishing. 
Accommodations and equipment first class. In- 
formation from Henry Hansom, Woodruff, Wis. 

Pike Lake, Price Co., Lac Du Flambeau, Wis. 
Good musky, bass and pike fishing; also fish 
Round, Squaw and Rice lakes and Flambeau River 
from here; accommodations and outing equip- 
ment O. K. For information, Ross & Simpson, 
Lac Du Flambeau, Wis. 

Lac Du Flambeau, Lac Du Flambeau, Wis. Very 
good bass, musky, pike and wall-eye pike fishing 
here. Fish Crawling Stone, Fence, Long, Poke- 
gama lakes from here, also Bear River; accom- 
modations and equipment good. For informa- 
tion, B. Gauthier, Lac Du Flambeau, Wis. 

Fisher Lake, Iron Co., Mercer, Wis. Fine musky, 
bass, pike and wall-eye pike fishing, west end of 
Turtle waters; also fish Cedar, Pardee and No 
Man's Lake from here; some big wall-eyes from 
these waters. Accommodations and equipment 
O. K. and for information, Herman E. Mielke, 
Mercer, Wis. 

North and South Turtle Lakes, Vilas Co., 
Winchester, Wis. Very good bass, musky, pike 
and trout fishing. Centers Turtle Waters; con- 
nected lakes and streams good fishing. Accom- 



WISCONSIN FISHING WATERS 337 

modations good, also equipment. For Informa- 
tion, Buck & Son, Winchester, Wis. 
Presque Isle Lake, Vilas Co., Winegar, Wis. In 
the timber country and very good fishing; small- 
mouth bass, musky, great northern pike and wall- 
eye pike and trout; also fish Papoose, Ox Bow, 
Crab, Wolf, Crooked and Boulder lakes from 
here. Many canoe trips through connected lakes ; 
accommodations good. For information, Geo. 
Nelson, Winegar, Wis. 

For all around information on the northern Wis- 
consin waters, the writer will be pleased at any time 
to give such information and data he has gathered 
from many years' fishing there and from reports sent 
in from time to time by guides, trappers and fisher- 
men. 



MINNESOTA FISHING WATERS 

To try and name all the good fishing points in 
Minnesota would be to practically take the whole 
state, in fact there are over ten thousand lakes that 
are real fishing waters and all the game fish have 
natural breeding waters In this state. While the 
musky, large and small-mouth bass, great northern 
pike and cold water pickerel predominate there is 
very good trout, lake trout, sturgeon and white fish 
as well as pan-fishing that runs to good size. 

You can get fishing from the handy summer re- 
sort lake to the rougher, way back in the hinterland 
camping layout and for the real back to nature stuff 
the far northern end of the state, north and north- 
west of Duluth Is real going. Here Is a selection 
of some thirty locations, covering both the closer-in 
places and the far north wilderness lakes. 

Lake Geneva, Alexandria, Minnesota, has good 
bass and wall-eye pike fishing, many other lakes 
connected by channels, streams nearby; excellent 
resort accommodations. For information, Geo. 
L. Treat, Alexandria, Minnesota. 
338 



MINNESOTA FISHING WATERS 339 

Clearwater Lake, Annandale, Minnesota, seven- 
teen lakes in this vicinity, largest being Clear- 
water. Splendid bass and pike fishing; good re- 
sorts at all lakes. For information, Geo. C. 
Schierts, Annandale, Minnesota. 

White Bear Lake, St. Paul, Minnesota, bass, pike 
and pickerel fishing; reached by electric line or 
automobile from Twin Cities. Excellent ac- 
commodations. For information, St. Paul As- 
sociation, St. Paul, Minn. 

Lake Bemidji, Minnesota, surrounded by dozens of 
other lakes; pike, pickerel, bass and trout are 
found in the smaller lakes, while large whitefish 
and muskellunge are caught in the larger lakes, 
excellent in-the-city hotels and summer hotels at 
lakes. For information, H. M. Stanton, Bemidji, 
Minn. 

Gull Lake, Brainerd, Minnesota, one of the chain 
of fifteen lakes from one-quarter mile to twelve 
miles in length. High class resorts, fine pike, 
black bass, pickerel, crappie and perch fishing; 
for information write Chamber of Commerce, 
Brainerd, Minnesota. 

Cass Lake, Cass Lake, Minnesota, excellent muskel- 
lunge, pike, bass, pickerel, and whitefish fishing; 
many other lakes nearby, good accommodations. 
For information, write M. N. Koll, Cass Lake, 
Minnesota. 

Chisago Lakes, Chisago City, Minnesota, chain 



340 COIN' FISHIN' 

of fine lakes, good bass, pike, pickerel and crap- 
ple fishing, good resorts. For information, 
David Bloom, Center City, Minnesota. 

Trout Lake, Coleraine, Minnesota, good bass, 
muskellunge, and trout fishing in the many lakes 
and streams which are easily accessible, good ac- 
commodations. For information, write Jos. H. 
Galipeau, Coleraine, Minn. 

Deer Lake, Deer River, Minnesota, excellent bass, 
muskellunge and pike fishing, good camping sites 
and summer resorts, bait or fly fishing. For in- 
formation, S. J. Moran, Deer River, Minnesota. 

Pelican Lake, Detroit, Minnesota, pike, pickerel, 
crappies and black bass in abundance, excellent 
resorts and in-the-city hotels, many other lakes 
nearby. For information, Fred Dennis, Detroit, 
Minn. 

Mantrap Lake, Dorset, Minnesota, noted 
" muskie " fishing lake, also bass, pike, pickerel 
and crappies; boats, tackle and guides available, 
good resorts. 

White Iron Lake, Ely, Minnesota, lake trout and 
brook trout, wall-eye pike, black bass, whitefish, 
muskellunge and pickerel fishing, good summer 
resorts, baits or fly fishing. For information, 
George L. Brozich, Ely, Minn. 

Lake Vermillion, Tower, Minnesota, nearly 700 
miles of shoreline, wall-eye pike and muskellunge 
and land-locked salmon fishing, numerous sum- 



MINNESOTA FISHING WATERS 341 

mer resorts. For information, H. T. Olson, 
Tower, Minn. 

Interlaken Lakes, Fairmont, Minnesota, good 
pike, bass and crappie fishing, good resorts. For 
information, T. E. Himmelman, Fairmont, Minn. 

Lake Minnewaska, Glenwood, Minnesota, good 
black bass, pike, pickerel and crappie fishing, first 
class summer resorts. For information, C. J. 
WoUan, Glenwood, Minn. 

Pokegama Lake, Grand Rapids, Minnesota, white- 
fish, muskellunge, bass and lake trout fishing, 
many smaller bass and pike fishing lakes nearby, 
good accommodations. For information, C. W. 
Huntley, Grand Rapids, Minn. 

Woman Lake, Hackensack, Minnesota, good 
muskellunge, bass, pike and pickerel fishing, fine 
resorts. For information, E. M. Bartholmey, 
Hackensack, Minn. 

Rainy Lake, International Falls, Minnesota, pike, 
pickerel, lake trout, sturgeon, black bass and 
muskellunge are plentiful. Rainy Lake district 
has within its boundaries several thousand smaller 
lakes, many of them still unfished, good camping 
sites and in-the-city hotels. For information, 
David Hurlburt, International Falls, Minnesota. 

Lake Minnetonka, Minneapolis, Minnesota, good 
bass, pike and pickerel fishing, excellent accommo- 
dations. For information. Civic & Commerce 
Association, Minneapolis, Minn. 



342 COIN' FISHIN' 

Shamineau Lake, Little Falls, Minnesota, good 
bass, pike, muskellunge and crappie fishing, good 
camping sites. For information, W. E. Olson, 
Little Falls, Minnesota. 

Lake Mille Lacs, Aitkin, Minnesota, largest lake 
in the state, good large and small mouth bass, 
pike, pickerel and crappie fishing, good accommo- 
dations. For information, R. W. Rogers, Ait- 
kin, Minnesota, or Geo. L. Ticknor, Onamia, 
Minnesota. 

Big Stone Lake, Ortonville, Minnesota, good bass, 
pike and pickerel fishing, fine resorts. For in- 
formation, Geo. M. Fosburgh, Ortonville, Min- 
nesota. 

Lake Osakis, Osakis, Minnesota, bass and wall- 
eye pike plentiful, fine summer resorts, launches, 
row-boats, and guides available. For informa- 
tion, E. R, Ruggles, Osakis, Minnesota. 

Mantrap, Crow Wing and Fish Hook Chains, 
Park Rapids, Minnesota, numbering 37 lakes, 
excellent muskellunge, bass, pike, pickerel and 
crappie fishing, excellent summer resorts at all 
lakes. For information, Ben Glantz, Park 
Rapids, Minnesota. 

Lake of the Woods, Warroad, Minnesota, good 
pike, pickerel, whitefish, lake trout, sturgeon, 
black bass and muskellunge fishing; good camping 
sites. For information, Paul Marschalk, War- 
road, Minn. 




In playing the casting game alone, I have found that after casting a 
piece of water one can cover more water by letting the canoe run in 
to shore and then cast both sides lengthways and in front. You 
can attract many fish by casting downshore and reel in over good 
water all the way back to the next cast. 




The narrows between two parts of a lake is a regular thoroughfare 
for game fish particularly wall-eye pike, pike and musky. Run the 
boat ashore and cast across, up and down. If you don't get a 
strike, you're "out-o'-luck," because the fish sure use that water 
boulevard. 



MINNESOTA FISHING WATERS 343 

Madison Lake, Mankato, Minnesota, good bass, 
pike, pickerel and crappie fishing, good resorts. 
For information. Commercial Club, Mankato, 
Minn. 

Lake Jefferson, Cleveland, Minnesota, good bass, 
pike, pickerel and crappie fishing, good resorts. 
For information, Joe Hardaegger, Cleveland, 
Minn. 

Leech Lake, Walker, Minnesota, excellent muskel- 
lurtge, bass, pike and whitefish fishing, good re- 
sorts. For information, Gus Kulander, Walker, 
Minnesota. 

Lake Sylvia, South Haven, Minnesota, good large 
and small-mouth black bass, pike and pickerel 
fi.shing, good resorts. For information, Com- 
mercial Club, South Haven, Minnesota. 



PACIFIC NORTHWEST FISHING 
WATERS 

For the trout fisherman the waters of the streams 
and lakes of the mountainous Pacific northwest make 
ideal wet and dry fly casting. These waters are 
cold and fast being broken by rough water that gives 
the trout family just the layout that makes them 
the premier fighters they are. And the variety of 
the trout seems endless, from the Deschutes River in 
Oregon come the famous redside trout, this stream 
being fine dry fly fishing while the Willamette River, 
right above Portland, offers rattling good Chinook 
salmon and the Siuslaw River down in Lake County, 
Oregon, flowing from the Coast Range Mountains 
directly into the Pacific Ocean, is fine for sea trout. 
In Lake Crescent, Washington, we find the famed, 
but scarce, Beardsley trout, the Crescenti and cut- 
throat while at Lake Chelan, at Chelan, Washing- 
ton, has excellent lake and cut-throat fishing. 
There is good salmon fishing at the mouth of the 
Campbell River at the northeastern end of Van- 
couver Island, while the river proper is great for 
trout and the trout fishing in the Kootenay River, 
all along to the pools below Bonnington Falls is 
great. 

344 



PACIFIC NORTHWEST WATERS 345 

Deschutes River, Crook County, Oregon. A 
very large mountain river, with thousands of red- 
side trout. Offers splendid dry fly fishing during 
May and June. Size 8 and lo dry flies are gen- 
erally used. For particulars write, B. A. Ken- 
dall, Redmond, Ore. 

Metolius River, Crook County, Oregon. Trib- 
utary of the Deschutes. Water unusually clear 
and cold. Splendid dry fly fishing for large rain- 
bow trout from April to July. For accommoda- 
tions and further details write, Dan Heising, Sis- 
ters, Ore. 

McKenzie River, Lane County, Oregon. An- 
other large mountain river, famous for its rain- 
bow trout. Offers the finest dry fly fishing in the 
State and is good from May ist to July 15th, 
and from September 15th to October loth. For 
details write, H. D. Sloan, Belknap Spring, 
Ore. 

WiLLiAMETTE RiVER, just above Portland, Ore. 
Very fine salmon trolling for Chinook salmon dur- 
ing April and May. Thousands of salmon are 
caught each year within 10 miles of Portland. 
Write to Backus & Morris, Portland, Ore. 

Rogue River, Jackson and Josephine Counties, Ore- 
gon. The home of the famous steelhead trout, 
which are taken on size 4 and 6 flies, and which 
range in weight from 2 to 10 pounds. Some of 
the best fishing can be had near Grant's Pass dur- 



346 COIN' FISHIN' 

ing August and September. Write to Joe WKar- 
ton, Grant's Pass, Ore., for details. 

Elk Lake, about 40 miles west of Bend, in Crook 
County, Oregon. This lake was stocked with 
Eastern Brook trout 6 years ago, and now con- 
tains thousands of this variety, up to four pounds 
in weight. They are taken with both dry and 
wet flies, by fishing from a boat. July and Aug- 
ust are the best months. For further particulars, 
write up to Douthit Electric Co., Bend, Ore. 

North Umpqua River^ Douglas County, Oregon. 
This river has a run of very large Chinook salmon 
during April and May, and many are taken on the 
trolling spoon at the town of Winchester. Fish- 
ing is done from small row boats with ordinary 
bass casting tackle. Write to S. B. Crouch, Rose- 
burg, Ore. 

SiusLAw River, Lake County, Oregon. This 
stream flows directly into the ocean from the 
Coast Range Mountains, and has a good run of 
sea trout during April and May. These fish 
rise very readily to a number 6 sunken fly, and are 
taken in large numbers during the spring months. 
Write to Jack Young, Swiss Home, Ore., for 
particulars. 

Nehalem River, Oregon. Another coastal river, 
which has a good run of sea trout during July and 
August. A number 4 sunken Royal Coachman 
fly is the best killer on this stream, and many fish 



PACIFIC NORTHWEST WATERS 347 

of 3 pound weight are taken. For details write, 
E. H. Lindsey, Mohler, Ore. 
Trask River, Tillamook County, Oregon. This is 
the best of the Tillamook County's trout rivers. 
It is well stocked with cutthroat trout, which take 
the fly readily during June, July and August. 
Write J. S. Lamar, Tillamook, Ore. 
Lake Chelan, Chelan, Wash. Good lake and cut- 
throat trout fishing; lake open season year around. 
Use troll, bait and fly. Bountifully supplied with 
small creeks and rivers which all contain trout. 
Good resorts both ends of lake which is 48 miles 
long. For information, R. B. Nason, Tacoma, 
Washington. 
Lake Sammamish, Seattle, Wash. Good lake and 
cutthroat trout fishing. Bass and perch also. 
Principally trolling with bait fishing. Good fishmg 
lodges. Can be reached within one hour and a 
half from Seattle. For information. Earl A. Fry, 
Seattle, Washington. 
BOCACHIEL River, Forks, Wash. Good cutthroat 
trout fishing. Known as a good fly stream, tak- 
ing them about July ist. Good fishing lodge. 
For information, E. Krogh, Forks, Wash. 
QuiNAULT River and Lake, Olson, Wash. Good 
cutthroat. Eastern Brook and steelhead fishing. 
Upper river best fishing. Trolling and fly fish- 
ing. Good fishing and hunting lodge. For in- 
formation, Herbert Olson, Olson, Washington. 



348 GOIN' FISHIN' 

Skykomish River, Index, Wash. Good rainbow 
and cutthroat trout fishing. Trolling, bait and 
fly fishing in seasons. Good hotel accommoda- 
tions. Traversed by Great Northern Ry. For 
information, W. F. Ulrich, Index, Wash. 

Silver Lake, Castle Rock, Wash. Good large- 
mouth black bass fishing. Bait and artificial min- 
now fishing. Good accommodations. For in- 
formation, R. B, Nason, Tacoma, Washington. 

Railroad Creek, Lucerne, Wash. Good cut- 
throat, Eastern Brook trout fishing. Fly fishing 
principally. Fishing lodge at Lucerne. In- 
formation, Oscar Getty, Lucerne, Washington. 

Skagit River, Rockport, Wash. Good cutthroat 
trout fishing. Upper waters of a stream only. 
Bait and fly fishing, with flies best in season. Ac- 
commodations at Rockport and Marblemount. 
For information. Earl A. Fry, Seattle, Washing- 
ton. 

Lake Crescent, Lake Crescent, Wash. Good 
Beardsley, Crescent! and cutthroat trout fishing. 
Beardsley trout taken on special troll. Others 
on bait and fly. Good fishing tributary streams. 
Excellent resort accommodations. For informa- 
tion, Earl A. Fry, Seattle, Wash. 

Spokane River, Spokane, Wash. Good cutthroat 
trout fishing. Bait and fly fishing. Also trolling 
for large ones. Good accommodations at Spo- 



PACIFIC NORTHWEST WATERS 349 

kane. For information, Garrett B. Hunt, City 
Hall, Spokane, Washington. 
CowiCHAN River, Vancouver Island, B. C. 
Reached by the Island Highway from Victoria, 
or by rail to Duncans and auto stage to the head 
of the river at Cowichan Lake. A fine trout 
stream from March 20th to November. It is 
one of the best canoe streams in the West. 
Campbell River, northeastern end of Vancouver 
Island. Reached by passenger steamers from 
Victoria or Vancouver. There is a fine automo- 
bile road — the Island Highway — from Vic- 
toria. Excellent trout fishing from March to No- 
vember. Salmon fishing at the mouth of the river 
excellent from July to September 15 th. Good 
hotel. 
Sproat Lake, Somas River and Vicinity, Van- 
couver Island. Excellent trout fishing May to 
November. These excellent fishing waters may 
be reached by rail or the Island Highway from 
Victoria. Excellent hotels at Port Alberni, 
Sproat Lake and Cameron Lake. 
Thompson River, on the line of the Canadian Pa- 
cific Railroad from Kamloops to Ashcroft affords 
excellent trout fishing immediately following high 
water in July and from then to November. 
KooTENAY River and Lake, reached from Nelson, 
B. C. Trout at any point on the river from the 



350 COIN' FISHIN' 

outlet of Kootenay Lake to the great pools below 
Bonnington Falls, June to November. Good 
hotels at Nelson and Proctor, and the Canadian 
Pacific Fishing Lodge at Bonnington Falls. 

There are many attractive trout lakes in the vi- 
cinity of Kamloops, Ashcroft and Clinton and the 
streams and lakes near Fort George and along the 
line of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad afford ex- 
cellent trout fishing from June to November. 



CANADIAN FISHING WATERS 

Who of the fishing clan have not had the desire 
to make a fishing trip into the Canadian woods, along 
the lakes and streams of that land famed for its 
fishing. From coast to coast there are thousands of 
good fishing points in that land of delight to the 
outer. I have made a selection of excellent fishing 
waters from the great salmon streams the Miramichi 
and the Cain's River in New Brunswick to the lakes 
around Kamloops, British Columbia where the rain- 
bow and cutthroat trout put up a wonderful fight in 
these cold waters of the mountains, with stops here 
and there across the continent such as the French 
River, Kawartha Lakes and Lake Penache of On- 
tario, Lake Kipawa and Lake Edward in Quebec 
and the world famous Nipigon where the speckled 
trout grow to staggering size, not forgetting the 
great stretch of rainbow trout fishing in the St. 
Mary's River rapids at Sault Ste. Marie. 

Banff and Lake Louise, Alberta. Lakes and 
streams of this mountain region generously 
stocked with cutthroat, Dolly Varden, bull and 
lake trout. Good fly fishing in season. Informa- 

351 



352 COIN' FISHIN' 

tion from the Brewster Transport Co., Banff, 
Alta. 

Blind River, Ontario. Black bass, pickerel and 
pike, muscalunge and salmon trout around islands 
in North Channel of Georgian Bay. Informa- 
tion from American Hotel. 

Bonny River, New Brunswick. Splendid speckled 
trout fishing in the numerous lakes and streams of 
the district. Information from T. A. Sullivan, 
hotel and camp proprietor. Bonny River, N. B. 

Bristol, New Brunswick. Salmon and speckled 
trout fishing on North Branch and Main South- 
west Miramichi. Information from Mr. Mur- 
dock Mackenzie, Biggar Ridge, N. B., who has 
well equipped sporting camps. 

Cain's River, New Brunswick, reached via Freder- 
icton. First class fishing for salmon and speckled 
trout. Information from Mr. W. Harry Allen, 
Penniac, N. B., who has control of the fishing 
rights on this river. 

Desbarats, Ontario. Black bass, pickerel and 
pike. Speckled trout in some of the inland lakes. 
Information from J. R. Marshall & Co., or W. 
J. Kellogg, Desbarats, Ont. 

French River District, Ontario, Station, French 
River. First class muscalunge, large and small- 
mouth bass, pickerel and pike fishing. Informa- 
tion from A. L. DuBois, DuBois' Sportsman's 
Camp, Bigwood, Ont. 



CANADIAN FISHING WATERS 353 

DiGBY, Nova Scotia. Deep sea fishing. Good 
speckled trout fishing within few miles. For In- 
formation apply H. A. P. Smith, Game Warden, 
DIgby, N. S. 

Jackfish, Ontario. Best of speckled trout fish- 
ing In Steel River and other streams within short 
distance along shore of Lake Superior. Also 
rainbow and salmon trout In Steel River and 
Mountain Lake. Information from Wm. Fraser, 
Jackfish, Ont. 

Kamloops, British Columbia. Unexcelled fishing 
for rainbow and cutthroat trout In Fish, Paul and 
Penanton Lakes. Other varieties of trout in dif- 
ferent lakes and streams of district. Informa- 
tion from Secretary, Board of Trade, Kamloops, 
B.C. 

Kawartha Lakes, Ontario. Reached from east 
via Peterboro, from west via Bobcaygeon. 
Chiefly muscalunge and bass fishing. Informa- 
tion from Empress Hotel, Peterboro, Rockland 
House, Bobcaygeon. 

Kedgemakooge Lake, Nova Scotia. Station 
Annapolis Royal, distant 35 miles. Speckled 
trout in Kedgemakooge Lake and tributary wa- 
ters. Fine canoeing. Information from Man- 
ager, Kedgemakooge Rod and Gun Club, An- 
napolis, N. S. 

KiPAWA, Quebec. Station for Lake Kipawa and 
tributary chain of lakes and streams. Lake trout, 



354 COIN' FISHIN' 

pike and pickerel in Lake Kipawa. Capital 
speckled trout fishing in certain waters of district. 
Information from Viets & Clark, Outfitters, Ki- 
pawa. 

Labelle, Quebec. Speckled and red trout in wa- 
ters within any range. Information from Post- 
master, Labelle, Que. 

Lake Edward, Quebec. Fine speckled trout fish- 
ing in Lake Edward and multitude of smaller 
lakes and streams of district. Information from 
Robt. and G. K. Rowley, Laurentide House, Lake 
Edward, Que., who operate string of sporting 
camps throughout territory. 

Lake of Woods District, Ontario. Principal 
gateway, Kenora. Muscalunge, small-mouth 
bass, lake trout, pickerel and pike. Wonderful 
canoe trips. Information from Secretary, Board 
of Trade, Kenora, Ont. 

Lake Penache, Ontario. Station Whitefish. Re- 
markably fine bass fishing; also lake trout, pick- 
erel and pike. Information from Dr. F. C. 
Frank or Dan Sheehan, Whitefish, Ont., who 
operate sporting camps. 

Megantic, Quebec. Small-mouth bass, lake trout 
and speckled trout in Lake Megantic and adjacent 
waters. Information from Proprietor Union 
House or Queens Hotel, Megantic, Que. 

MissANABlE, Ontario. Speckled trout in nearby 
streams. Small-mouth bass, pickerel, pike and 



CANADIAN FISHING WATERS 355 

salmon trout in lakes within easy reach. Splendid 
opportunities for canoe cruising. Information 
from Hudson's Bay Co., Missanabie, Ont. 

NiPiGON, Ontario. Station for Nipigon River, 
world renowned for size and fighting quality of 
its speckled trout. Fly fishing good during July 
and August and up to close of season, September 
fourteenth. Small-mouth bass in Bass Lake, con- 
nected by creek with the Nipigon River 12 miles 
up. Information from Hudson's Bay Co., or 
Wm. McKirdy & Sons, Nipigon, Ont. 

NOMININGUE, Quebec. Speckled or red trout in 
nearly all lakes of the locality. Information from 

A. Huot, Game Keeper and Fishery Overseer, 
Nominingue, Que. 

Perth and Plaster Rock, New Brunswick. Go- 
ing in stations for Tobique River system of water- 
ways. Notably good salmon and speckled trout 
fishing. Information from Wade & Knapp and 
Percy B. Falding, Perth, Ogilvy Bros., Oxbow, 

B. S. Moore and Chas. Cremin, Fredericton, 
N. B., all of whom operate camps in this territory. 

Point Au Baril (Georgian Bay) , Ontario. Small 
mouth bass, muscalunge, pickerel, pike and sal- 
mon trout fishing among the islands of this dis- 
trict. Information from Manager, Ojibway 
Hotel, Ojibway Island P. O., Ont. 

Ste. Agatge, Quebec. Station for Lakes Archam- 
bault and Ouareau and numerous smaller lakes, 


















^-,/Xv 



^^.^ * N 












<. 
















.s^%. 



^0 -^ ' 













:P" ^].,y>^^y'' i'^. 






-) ^. /, ^-l^tA ^ o . civ. 






■^oo'' 








1> "^ci-^ 



C> 



'\4^ : ■ ■ = 

<^, * 8 1 a" 
1^ ^ ^ " , •■'>^, 









/\W,%-, ^.^v^' 



.-i' 










: .x^^'^- 









'bo^ 



* 




^^■^ 


■/_, 


C' /' '' 


* .y 


o'^ 






1 V ' 


N> ■:• 


' ' / 


o 'if' 


.^" 







.■>^ % 






^^^ 






, O-' <!- ' " ' 



